


Tact

by TheUnforgiven



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Gen, Other, badger cereal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-30
Updated: 2014-03-30
Packaged: 2018-01-17 13:25:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1389331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheUnforgiven/pseuds/TheUnforgiven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Vlad first meets Danny, he doesn't tell him that he hates his father, nor does he try to directly make Danny join him, and as a result, they become allies, even friends. But will it really last? Can Vlad keep up this relationship with Danny when he still harbors a strong desire for revenge? Bitter Reunions AU, Badger Cereal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Proper Start

**Author's Note:**

> So I’ve been pondering this idea for awhile; what if Vlad wasn’t a complete idiot in Bitter Reunions and didn’t tell Danny he wanted to kill his father? They could have been friends instead of enemies if Vlad had had a little bit more tact. And thus this AU was born.
> 
> Hollyflash (ff.net) encouraged me to actually write this, as it seems we had both been pondering the idea, so hopefully it will turn out as good enough repayment for her awesome fic Unfamiliar Family (that’s a hint that you should go read it).

            Vlad Plasmius blinks in surprise, seeing the dark haired boy in pink pajamas lying on the floor in front of him. He had been just about to waste that stupid ghost boy Danny Phantom when the rings had appeared and he had suddenly changed—turned into none other than his enemy’s son.

            “The ghost boy… is Jack’s son?” Frowning in thought, Vlad allows his own rings to transform him back into his human self. He quickly gathers the boy up in his arms and phases through the walls until he reaches the room the boy was staying in. He gingerly lays him down on the bed, pulling the covers up over him.

            Vlad stands there for a long moment, simply watching the boy, studying his troubled face. _This boy… Daniel… he must be keeping it a secret from his parents. That fool Jack would never accept him if he knew._ Vlad’s thoughts are interrupted as the boy stirs slightly, turning under the covers, his face finally relaxing a little bit. _He must come to my side. It’s obvious that he needs guidance, and who better to nurture him than a fellow half-ghost? I could give him so much that his own father never could. Yes, Daniel; you will join me, no matter what. You and your mother._

Smiling at this, Vlad retreats to an armchair in a corner of the enormous room to think while he waits for the boy to wake once more. _He would never just renounce his father willingly; he does actually care for him. No, this must be handled delicately. Daniel cannot know of my involvement in affairs against his father. This will require some special planning…_

The man makes a mental note to call off those moron vultures as soon as possible. He can’t have them ruining his perfectly constructed plans, as they seemed so often wont to do. How hard was it to kill one fat oaf anyway?

            Several minutes pass as Vlad considers his options to win this boy over, while said boy slumbers on, seemingly at peace. That is, until he starts twisting and turning in his bed, kicking at the blanket cover and seeming to fight something with his hands. Vlad rises out of his chair, a look of concern crossing his features.

            “No… get away!” Danny bolts upright, looking around, obviously confused. “Huh? Where am I? What happened?”

            “I was going to ask you the same question, young man.” Vlad steps forward out of the dark corner that held the chair he had been sitting in.

            “Uh… I must have been worn out from the long car trip. I’ll be okay in the morning.” The boy pulls the blanket up, wringing it slightly in his hands, seeming nervous, possibly embarrassed. “I’m sorry for the scare!”

            “Oh, what’s a little scare between friends, son?” Vlad turns to leave the room. “Sleep tight, little badger.” Danny smiles at him as he steps out, closing the door behind him.

* * *

 

            When Danny wakes up, it takes him a second to remember where he is, the overly soft comforter and four poster bed throwing him off. Checking the time on the clock nearby, the boy hops up and rubs his eyes, trying to remember where he left his duffle bag. His foot finds it first, and subsequently gets caught in the strap, sending him flying to the floor.

            Grumbling in annoyance, he untangles his foot, then turns and pulls the bag towards him, fishing through it for his clothes. The actual reunion party didn’t start until five, and Danny would have been happy to sleep until then, but Vlad had promised to show him around his mansion yesterday if he got up a little bit early.

            Finding his usual tee shirt and jeans, he stumbles tiredly into the adjoining bathroom to take a shower and brush his teeth. He was happy to scrub away the dirt that had accumulated from their traveling the day before, and the excessively luxury bathtub was a nice plus.

            Emerging finally from his room, Danny wandered down the hall, wondering absentmindedly if he could risk going ghost for a little bit until he found Vlad. Luckily, he managed to find his way into the dining room where Vlad was seated eating his breakfast without having to resort to that.

            “Morning, Mr. Masters!” Danny said happily. Vlad looked up from the newspaper he had been reading, smiling warmly at the boy.

            “Good morning, Daniel. I trust you slept well for the remainder of the night.” Danny blushed a little bit, slightly embarrassed at being caught in a nightmare, happy that Vlad was too busy folding up his newspaper to notice.

            “Yeah, I slept fine. You’ve got a really nice bathroom in there, by the way.” Danny commented. Vlad chuckled.

            “I see you made good use of the tub. I’m glad you enjoyed it.” He said, noting the boy’s still damp hair. “Come sit down, have some breakfast.”

            “Sure, thanks!” Danny says, pulling up a chair next to the head of the table, where Vlad was sitting. A man appeared through a door off to Danny’s left, striding calmly up to him. The man was thin, though only average height, and very pale. His eyes were a deep brown, with just a slight tinge of red, and he wore the traditional suit of a butler.

            “What can I get for you, young man?” Danny seemed a bit startled, so much so that he didn’t register the chill and the cold mist emerging from his mouth. Vlad did, however.

            _What was that? Was that his ghost sense…? Odd that it’s visible…_

            “Umm… could I have some pancakes?” Danny asks sheepishly. The butler nods and turns without a word, disappearing back through the door. “Who was that?”

            “Just Christophe, my butler. He and my personal chef take care of all the food preparations.” Vlad responds in between bites of his own breakfast.

            “Wow! That’s cool. Do you have maids, too?”

            “Yes, but they don’t live here. They come out once a week to clean.” Finally, Danny’s attention is drawn towards Vlad again.

            “What are you eating?”

            “Porridge, my dear boy.”

            “You mean like fancy oatmeal?” Vlad stares at him for a moment.

            “Yes… I suppose it is like fancy oatmeal.” This earns a small chuckle from Danny.

            After a few minutes of conversation, Christophe reemerges from what Danny assumes must be the kitchen with a plateful of pancakes. He sets the plate down in front of Danny, along with a glass of milk and set of silverware and napkin, then turns and leaves the room once more.

            Danny stares at the pancakes for a moment, admiring the strawberries and whipped cream adorning the top, before his hunger gets the better of him. He cuts out a huge bite with his fork, then stuffs the whole thing into his mouth, leaving strawberry syrup all over his face.

            _He obviously gets his manners from his father._ Vlad thinks disdainfully. _I’ll have to fix that later._

            “Daniel, you have some syrup on your… well all over your face, actually.” Vlad says with a smirk.

            “Oh, whoops, sorry I’ll get it.” He licks off all the syrup that he can reach with his tongue, then smears the rest onto the white napkin. The sight of the soiled cloth almost makes Vlad’s eye twitch. _Yes, I definitely need to make table etiquette a priority._ “So, you promised you would show me around your castle today, Mr. Masters!”

            “Indeed I did, my boy. But please, ‘Vlad’ is fine.”

            “Oh, okay Vlad!” Danny says cheerfully. Vlad smiles at him.

            “And yes, I would be happy to show you the entire castle after you finish your breakfast.” Danny nodded, returning his attention to his pancakes with renewed vigor.

* * *

 

            “And this is the ballroom; the reunion this evening will mainly take place here.” Danny just nodded, peeking through the door at the enormous room. They had been looking around the castle for a good hour now, and Danny had seen all manner of rooms. Vlad frowned. “You seem a bit bored, my boy. Do you want to do something else?” Danny looked up at the man in surprise.

            “Oh, no! It’s not that I’m bored, it’s just that…” Danny rubbed the back of his head, and Vlad raised an eyebrow at him. “Well, I thought you’d have some weird stuff in here.” He admits with a sheepish grin. Vlad tilts his head, then a matching grin appears on his face.

            “Well, I’m sure it can’t compete with your parents’, but I do have a ghost lab.” Danny stared at him in surprise.

            “You do? You uh… you don’t seem like the type that would be interested in ghost hunting.”

            “Yes, well, back in our college days your parents and I ran a small club on the subject. I guess I was changed more by that than I thought.” Vlad coughed awkwardly. “At any rate, would you like to see the lab?”

            “Sure!”

            “Then follow me.” Vlad says, smiling at the boy. _He’s surprisingly excited to go to a room full of presumably anti-ghost things. What a strange boy._

            After walking down several hallways—Danny by this point was already completely lost—they arrived at the unassuming entrance to the lab. Vlad unceremoniously opened the door and strolled in, Danny following after a moment of hesitation. Vlad shut the door behind him.

            “What do you think, my boy?” Vlad asks with a smug smirk.

            “It’s pretty impressive.” Danny says, eyeing the large ghost portal on one wall.

            “Ah, I know your parents have one of these.” Vlad says, noticing the boy’s staring and walking over to the portal. “As you should already know, it’s a portal into the ghost zone.”

            “Does it work?” Danny asks.

            “That it does, my boy.” Vlad smiles proudly. His face just as quickly becomes somber, and he turns away from Danny to look at the portal. “The prototype of this portal caused an accident in my college days. Did your father ever tell you about it?” Vlad asks, glancing over his shoulder. Danny simply shakes his head, not sure what to say. “A malfunction in the prototype caused it to erupt a type of ectoplasmic energy… right into my face.” Danny’s eyes widened.

            “What… what happened?”

            “I’m not sure what caused the portal to malfunction, but the accident gave me a horrible case of ecto-acne. I was in the hospital for years.” Danny almost winced as he remembered Vlad yelling something about those years the day before. It had obviously been hard on him. “But, I didn’t bring you in here to speak about my own accident. Rather, I would like to speak about yours.” Vlad finally turns to look at Danny, his piercing gaze seeming to see right through the boy. Danny takes a few unconscious steps back, something akin to fear crossing his features.

            “W-what are you talking about?” His voice almost shakes.

            “You don’t have to hide from me. I already know your secret.”

            “You… you do?” Danny sounds stunned, though also a bit suspicious. Vlad nods solemnly, before the rings appear around his waist and quickly transform him into Plasmius. Danny’s eyes widen even more and he stumbles backwards, his words failing him. “You’re—you’re that ghost… last night you…”

            “Yes, my boy, I am the ghost you fought, and I’m afraid I have something to apologize for. You see, the entire state of Wisconsin is well known and accepted as my territory. No ghost dares to trespass here. And so, when I saw you wandering around my very _house_ last night, I was determined to teach you a lesson.” Vlad paused, as if in thought. “But you fell unconscious and reverted back to your human state, and I realized quickly that I had made a mistake.” Having walked slowly up to the boy, he changed back to his human form and gently placed his hand on his shoulder. “I am terribly sorry, Daniel, for attacking you. You must understand I didn’t know you were also a half-ghost.”

            Danny, who had been listening, nearly frozen to the spot, finally remembered how to speak again.

            “It’s… it’s okay. I understand.” Danny just looks at the man for a moment, considering something. “But… why did you tell me? Why did you reveal your identity?” Vlad smiles at him.

            “That’s simple, my boy. I want to help you. You are obviously in need of training.”

            “Hey!” Danny protests.

            “Don’t take it as a personal insult; you’re doing better than I was at the same time, and you’re much younger than I was. But it is still not enough. If a powerful foe comes along, you may not be able to defeat it. I wish to help you harness your powers, so you may become a more formidable opponent.”

            “What about what you said last night? You made fun of me because I use my powers for _good_. So what do you use yours for then?” Danny’s tone was slightly hostile, and Vlad frowned.

            “You see my boy, you don’t get far in life helping everyone all the time. Sometimes people need to fight their own battles as well. You get battered and bruised on a daily basis, and nobody even thanks you for it. You need to learn to do things for yourself.”

            “I protect people because it’s the _right_ thing to do. It doesn’t matter if they don’t thank me or even if they hate me. It’s still _right_.” Danny was bordering on angry now, and Vlad raised his hands.

            “Let’s not fight about this, hmm? I simply wish to offer you the opportunity to learn from me. However you use your powers, my offer still stands.” Vlad walks over to the door. “Why don’t you think on it today? You can tell me your decision before you leave in the morning.”

            “But we live so far away; how would you be able to train me?”

            “I’m a billionaire, Daniel. Transportation is child’s play. Don’t worry about the logistics and just focus on whether or not you wish to accept my offer. You have my word that it will be worth your while.” Vlad opens the door and steps out into the hall. “Your parents will be waking soon, and I must attend to the preparations for the party, so please feel free to look around, and you can come and meet us all in the ballroom when you’re finished. Ta!” With that, Vlad shuts the door and walks off down the hall.

            Danny studies his hand, thinking to himself. _There’s another half-ghost, and he wants to train me… But can I trust him?_ Danny liked the man just fine, but after finding out that he was the ghost he fought last night, he wasn’t so sure about him anymore. _What would he even have done to me if he hadn’t found out I was half ghost? And what’s so wrong with using my powers for good, anyway?_ Danny wonders to himself as he exits the lab.  
  


* * *

 

            _It seems everything is going according to plan. Daniel doesn’t know about my grudge against his father, and has heard my offer. All that’s left is to make sure he accepts it._ Vlad smiles deviously to himself, heading down to the ballroom to oversee the set-up for the party later that evening. _Yes, this will have to be handled_ very _carefully…_


	2. A Different Approach

Danny straightened his light blue tie in the mirror, but something about it looked… off. _Did I tie it wrong…?_ He pulled the knot apart for the fifth time, cursing under his breath. There was a knock at the door.

“Come in!” Danny yelled, still fumbling with the tie. Vlad opened the door, stepping in to the strange scene of Danny, tongue stuck out in concentration, badly attempting to tie his tie in front of the mirror. Vlad shook his head, a small smile on his face, and walked over to where Danny was standing next to the bed.

“Well, I came up here to request your help with something, but it seems you have more pressing matters to attend to.” Vlad snickered. Danny turned and stared at him dryly.

“Just help me!” He said, an annoyed pout forming on his face. Vlad laughed again, waving Danny’s hands away from the offending piece of cloth and kneeling down to get a better view of it.

“It’s not difficult, Daniel.” He said, examining the half-formed knot. “You’re just looping it around too many times, resulting in it becoming twisted. You need only loop it _three_ times, until the pocket forms on the front.” He deftly tied the knot properly, showing Danny the pocket he was talking about. “There, that’s a proper knot.” Vlad said, sliding the tie into place around Danny’s neck. He didn’t miss the almost imperceptible flinch as his hand came close to the boy’s throat.

“Uh… thanks, Vlad.” Danny said, fidgeting awkwardly.

“No problem, little badger.” He stood up, frowning slightly. “But please, Daniel. You do know that I won’t hurt you, right?” Danny looked surprised, almost a little guilty, before he nodded slowly.

“Yeah, it’s just that… I’m not used to anybody but my friends knowing my secret. It’s… a little weird.”

“I can understand that. I’m not so used to it myself.” There was a moment of completely awkward silence before the boy spoke up again.

“So, what did you need help with?”

“I could just use some extra hands to carry the food from the kitchen into the ballroom. I’ve hired some extra staff, but it seems they have not yet arrived. Would you mind helping out for a bit?”

“Sure, no problem, Vlad.” Danny followed the man out of the room, hastily buttoning his double-breasted jacket.

* * *

 

Jack and Maddie, dressed up by their standards but looking pretty much the same as usual, walked into the ballroom to find Danny carrying a large platter of cookies. They raised their eyebrows at him when he finally noticed them arriving.

            “Oh, hey Mom and Dad! I was just helping Vlad set out the food. He said he hired some help or something but they’re not here yet.” Danny set the platter down on the table next to a pre-sliced sheet cake, turning back again to see the puzzled look on his parents’ faces. “What?”

            Jack and Maddie, who had been briefly confused by Danny calling Vlad by his first name, just shook their heads.

            “Nothing, sweetie. We came down to help out as well… where’s Vlad?” Maddie asked.

            “Oh, he went to take care of… something else real fast. He’ll be back in a second.” Danny knew exactly where Vlad had gone—to set up a ghost shield around the ballroom in case the vultures from last night returned—but figured it was probably not wise to tell his parents that. He had been concerned himself at first, but Vlad had assured him that the shield would allow them both through as long as they were in their human form.

            “Then we’ll help you with the food!” Jack said happily, not catching the hesitation in his son’s response.

            “I’ve gotten most of it, but there’s a little bit still left in the kitchen.” Danny waved for them to follow, and the three of them filed into the kitchen. The strange butler Christophe and the chef, whom Danny hadn’t met, had the day off, so they were nowhere to be seen.

On the dark marble counter in the center of the state of the art kitchen rested a large bowl of fruit salad, a plate of finger sandwiches, a spinning display of red velvet cupcakes, and a tray of deviled eggs. Maddie quickly grabbed the cupcakes, knowing her husband, and sometimes her son as well, could be a bit clumsy. Danny subsequently picked up the fruit salad, his dad grabbing the sandwiches.

            “Now, Jack, don’t eat any of those yet.” Maddie said, seeing her husband about to grab one. He face fell into an annoyed pout, but he let his hand drop and followed his wife and son back out to the large banquet table in the ballroom. Jazz walked into the room just as they were setting the food down, dressed in her usual attire.

            “Aren’t you going to dress up, honey?” Her mother asked sweetly.

            “I don’t really feel like it. I’m just going to hang out in the viewing room.”

            “Hey Jazz, could you grab the tray of eggs in there for me?” Danny asked over his shoulder, busy making sure the sandwiches his father had placed precariously on the edge of the table weren’t going to fall off. Jazz nodded, though her brother couldn’t see her, and turned to head into the kitchen. She emerged after a few seconds with the plate of deviled eggs, setting them down in the only available space left on the long table.

            “Vlad may be a fanatic, but he sure has an impressive castle. That kitchen is amazing! I’m glad to see not _all_ of is castle is decorated in green and gold.” She said, her nose wrinkling slightly.

            “Why yes, only the entrance hall is decorated by that theme. I thought blue would do nicely for the rest.” Vlad said, having appeared behind her while she was talking. Jazz startled, quickly taking a few steps away from the man. Vlad smirked, turning his gaze to the other people in the room. “Thank you all for your help; it is greatly appreciated. The other guests should be arriving soon, so please make yourselves comfortable.”

            “Thanks, V-man!” Jack said happily, reaching for one of the sandwiches again. He was quickly stopped once more by his wife’s hard look.

            “Now Jack, you should wait until the other guests arrive.” Maddie chastised gently. Jack groaned.

            “Fine, I’ll just sit over here.” Jack said, going to sit unhappily in one of the chairs on the far wall as Vlad smirked once more.

            “Is there anything else I can help with, Vlad?” Danny asked from his place near the table.

            “Danny, you should relax a little bit! You’ve already done a lot.” Maddie responded.

            “Yes, your mother is right, Daniel. You should take a moment to rest. Why don’t we go to the lounge for a little while?” Danny nodded. “And of course, you all are welcome to join us.” Vlad said, addressing the three other people in the room, knowing already what their responses would be. Maddie shook her head.

            “I think I’ll stay in here and keep an eye on the preparations. And my husband.”

            “And I think I’ll just head to the viewing room now.” Jazz added.

            “Very well, as I said before, please make yourselves at home.” Vlad said, flashing a smile. He turned and led Danny out of the room and a short distance down the hall to one of the many lounges in the castle. Pushing through the swinging door, the two of them settled down in the overly plush chairs. “As you can see, Daniel, the shield won’t hurt you.” Danny nodded, as though he already knew Vlad was going to mention it.

            “Yeah, I noticed. How’d you make a shield that doesn’t hurt us, anyway? All my parents’ inventions hurt me in either form.” Danny said, a slight bitterness hinted at in his tone.

            “It’s not too difficult to do, if you know enough about half-ghosts. You can just program the shield to ignore beings below a certain level of activated spectral energy.” Danny blinked at him, obviously not quite getting it.

            “What do you mean?”

            “You see, Daniel, in our human state, our spectral cores are subdued. Most of the spectral energy given off by them in this state is _passive_ , meaning it cannot be called upon to use in attacks or other powers. It is essentially dormant. When we transform into our ghost state, all of the energy given off by our spectral cores becomes _active_ , meaning it _can_ be called upon to use our powers. Ghost shields attack, or rather stop, beings with active spectral energy. You just have to program the shield to have a higher tolerance for beings with lower levels of active spectral energy.” Danny stared at him for a moment. “Does that make sense?” Snapping out of it, Danny quickly responded.

            “Ah, yeah, it does. It’s just… how did you learn all that?” Vlad smirked, obviously noticing the boy’s awe.

            “Years of study and research, my boy.” Vlad said proudly.

            “So just how much did you learn anyway?”

            “Tsk tsk, Daniel. You’ll only know if you accept my offer.”

            “What, so you won’t tell me anything else until then?” Vlad smiled internally at Danny speaking about the offer as though he already intended to accept it.

            “How can you expect me to explain everything right now? I have much to teach, and it will all be available to you as soon as you tell me ‘yes.’” Danny understood what he meant, though on the surface he looked quite annoyed.

            “Fine, fine.” Danny said, dismissively waving his arm. “Don’t tell me. I haven’t even made a decision yet.”

            “Good. I wouldn’t want you to rush your choice. You have until tomorrow morning, so make sure to take your time and think it through.” Every word he spoke had an ulterior motive, disguised cleverly as concern; though perhaps not all of it was faked.

            “Yeah, I’m thinking it through. I don’t want to rush my decision either.” _I only just met you, after all._ Danny thought to himself, sighing internally at the thought of coming to an actual decision.

* * *

 

            It had been several hours, and for at least the last forty-five minutes or so, Danny had been sitting at an empty table, chin resting on his arms, watching the frankly disturbing dancing of the reunion guests. He feels a hand on his shoulder suddenly, and he looks up to see Vlad smiling down at him.

            “Are you alright, son?”

            “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little bored.”

            “You do realize you may leave if you don’t—” Vlad doesn’t get to finish the sentence, the blue mist appearing from Danny’s mouth causing him to stop abruptly.

            “Crap.” Danny looks annoyed, of course, and Vlad is frowning to himself as well.

            “What was that?” Vlad asks him.

            “Oh, it’s just my ghost sense. It goes off when a ghost is near. Don’t you have one?” Danny raises an eyebrow at the man.

“Of course I do, it’s just that mine doesn’t come out of my _mouth_.” Danny’s smirking all of a sudden.

“Then where _does_ it come out of?” Vlad smacking his hand to his forehead only makes Danny laugh harder.

“This is not the time, Daniel. I must go see what that is.” Danny waves his hands as Vlad walks away.

“Hang on! I’ll come with you!” Danny runs to catch up with the man.

“Just be careful, dear boy. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“I fight ghosts on a daily basis. I think I can handle it.” Vlad raises an incredulous eyebrow at him, but doesn’t say anything, turning and walking out of the large double doors of the ballroom, closely followed by Danny.

As soon as the two of them leave the safety of the ghost shield, Danny spots them—the three lazy and incompetent vultures that were trying to waste his dad.

“Not you three _again_.” Danny groans. He quickly darts into the lounge and transforms into Phantom. As he phases back through the door, the vultures finally notice him.

“Hey, it’s the fancy-pants ghost boy!” Danny smacks his fist against his hand in anticipation.

“You got that right, bird brains! You’re gonna wish you hadn’t met me!” The scared looks on their faces say they already do, but before they have much time to think about it, Danny raises his hand and fires an ectoblast at the one floating closest to him, hitting it square in the chest. Before any of them have time to recover from the surprise, Danny flies at the one on his right, opting to take a more physical approach; the punch sends the surprised bird straight into its brother, who had just managed to pull itself out of the crater it had made in the wall.

* * *

 

Danny, who had of course been busy fighting with the vultures, didn’t notice that Vlad wasn’t joining him, despite the fact that he had originally insisted that Danny not get involved. The man had in fact changed into his ghost form the same way Danny had, but was instead observing invisibly, watching how Danny fought against ghosts other than himself.

 _His form is a bit sloppy, though seemingly efficient… for now at least._ Vlad smirks to himself as one of the old birds slams into the ground in front of him. _He seems to be handling my vultures well at least._

Vlad turns his attention to the ballroom once more, poking his invisible head through the large doors. At once, he spots the man he’s looking for—Jack Fenton, looking extremely bored while listening to Harriet speaking about her successes.

“Am I boring you?” It’s about time she noticed.

“Frankly, yes.” Jack says, his deadpan face saying he doesn’t particularly care that she’s offended. Harriet crosses her arms angrily. As if suddenly realizing something, Jack turns towards Maddie, who’s standing a few feet behind him. “I have to visit the little ghost hunter’s room. I’ll be back!” He hands his glass of punch to his wife—his sixth glass of the evening—and rushes out of the room.

Vlad jumps out of the way even though he’s intangible, not exactly wishing to experience the feeling of being run through by Jack Fenton’s overweight frame. As he turns visible again, he leaps up into the air to help Danny fight.

“Where did you go, Vlad?” Danny asks between punches, finally noticing the man’s absence.

“You seemed to be handling things well, so I went to check on the shield.”

“Ghosts!” Vlad’s explanation is interrupted by Jack’s predictable cry. Even more predictable is the large ectogun he pulls seemingly from nowhere, aiming it at the unusually large company of ghosts. The shot he fires misses the mark completely, burning a huge hole in a probably very expensive painting hanging on the wall. It’s enough to get the attention of the vultures, and two of them come flying at the man.

Their talons sink into the fabric of his hazmat suit, somehow having the strength to hoist him off the ground. Cackling, the two fly off, carrying Jack to some other part of the castle to do who knows what.

“Dad!” Danny whispers the word, still aware of keeping his secret, but the alarm in his voice rings loud and clear. He turns intangible and shoots through the wall after the birds faster than Vlad can blink. Vlad’s forehead wrinkles in thought, and after a moment he follows after the boy, finding himself in his large library.

Danny is busy beating the crap out of the two birds while the third watches in relative safety in the corner. Jack was busy trying to blast Danny with the ectogun, apparently oblivious to the fact that the boy had just saved him, but lucky for the boy his father’s aim was so horrible, and he was able to easily dodge all the blasts.

Vlad jumps into the fray, blasting the gun out of Jack’s hands, in turn firing a blast at the vulture still lazing about in the corner. The bird squawks loudly and flies into action, beak narrowly missing Vlad’s face as he steps aside to avoid the attack. He quickly turns and grabs the legs of the vulture with one hand and throws it against the far wall, the large crater making his eye twitch. _There’s going to be a lot of repairs needed after this… but it will be worth it when my plan comes to fruition._

“Get off me!” Vlad turns his attention back to the boy with the vulture death gripping his arm, and moves in to help, quickly pushing Jack out of the way. He blasts the vulture off Danny’s arm, earning a thankful smile from the boy, and grabs the other while Danny fights off the third that just came back from its impact crater.

They both get swept up in the action against their foes that they forget about the other bird—the one who had been hanging off Danny’s arm. The old vulture, seeing its chance, flies from its place in the corner after the now defenseless Jack.

Danny turns too late to see it happen, his wordless shout echoing in his ears as he watches the bird fly at his father. At the very last second, Vlad jumps in front of it, forming a large pink shield around Jack and himself, and the bird bounces off of it, the sound of the ghostly bones cracking surprisingly sharp and loud. As Danny sigh in relief, he beats off the bird attacking and quickly whips out the Fenton Thermos, pressing the large button and sucking it inside. He catches the other one mid-attack, and finally Vlad throws the last one towards him, the sound of the lid snapping back into place on top of the thermos signaling the end of the battle.

Seeing that his dad was trying to pick up the ectogun again, Danny signaled for Vlad to follow him out of the library, and phased out into the hallway. When Vlad followed him out, Danny rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

“Thanks for saving my dad.”

“No problem, my boy. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to my dear friend.” Vlad’s voice shook just slightly on the word “friend,” but lucky for him, Danny didn’t seem to notice. “Now let’s head back to the party shall we?” Vlad smiled at the boy, and the two of them floated down the hallway and phased through the lounge door, quickly switching back into their human forms. As they walked out, Danny remembered something.

“I’m going to go help my dad. Go ahead without me.”

“If you insist, Daniel. Please do see that he makes it back to the party safely, hmm?” Danny nodded, walking off to find the actual entrance to the library as Vlad headed back into through the double doors into the ballroom.

As Danny walked into the library once more, he saw his dad holding his ectogun and staring blankly at the destruction of the room.

“Whoa, what happened in here?”

“Danny! You missed it! There were ghosts!” Jack came running up to Danny, gripping his arms and shaking the thin boy. Danny pulled himself from his dad’s grip.

“Ghosts? But why would there be ghosts at Vlad’s house?”

“I don’t know, Danny, but we’ve gotta figure it out!” Jack paused. “Hey, isn’t that the Fenton Thermos?” He asked, pointing at the unique object still clasped in the boy’s hand. Danny laughed nervously.

“Yeah… I grabbed it out of the RV. I thought maybe it might come in handy.”

“Good thinking, Danny!” Jack seemed completely oblivious to the obviously suspicious explanation.

“Umm, don’t you think we should head back to the party? I mean… what if the ghosts attack the guests?” Danny improvised.

“You’re right! We have to protect them! Come on!” Jack grabbed the boy’s thin wrist and pulled him, nearly running, down the hall and back to the ballroom.

* * *

 

            Danny was briefly confused again when he woke up in the large bed, but he quickly remembered where he was and hopped up to get ready for the long car trip. He had gone to bed late the previous night, having stayed up watching movies in the screening room with Jazz after finally convincing his dad that everyone was safe and the ghosts weren’t coming back.

            He tried to rub the sleep from his eyes as he got into the luxurious shower, his mind once again wandering towards the decision he had to make before he left.

            _There’s something strange about Vlad… but I just can’t put my finger on it. I don’t even know him that well; how can I just accept his offer?_ Danny was obviously lost, the options lying before him not seeming to weigh heavily to either side. _He obviously doesn’t use his powers like I do, but it’s not like he’s actually_ hurting _people. He’s just using his powers for his own gain… Who wouldn’t do that at least a little bit? Even I’ve used my powers for a few selfish things… And he did help me beat those vultures yesterday, and he saved my dad, so maybe he would be willing to help people too? As long as I remember what I want, what’s the harm in letting him help me? I really do need that help, and it would be nice to have someone to talk to once in a while…_

Danny continued to deliberate, forgetting that he had gotten in the shower because he needed to get ready to leave. Finally, after standing there for far longer than a shower should ever take, he turned off the water and dried himself off. He grabbed the clean clothes he had set aside and quickly got dressed, walking back out into the main bedroom area with the towel draped over his still wet hair.

            He gathered the few things he had set out, including his dirty clothes, and stuffed them haphazardly back into his duffel bag, then quickly dried his hair and dropped the towel into the small laundry hamper.

            Unceremoniously dragging the strangely heavy duffel bag, Danny walked out of the room and down the hall, headed for the entrance. He found his parents and sister standing impatiently near the door, with all their stuff piled up next to them. Vlad was chatting with Maddie.

            “Sheesh Danny, what took you so long?” Jazz asks, obviously annoyed.

            “Sorry, I wanted to take a shower first.” Danny said simply. His sister didn’t look too happy with the lacking explanation, but she let it go. Vlad turned at the new voice.

            “Ah, Daniel! I was starting to wonder where you had gone. As you can see, your family is ready to depart.” There was a strange look in the man’s eyes, which Danny did not fail to notice.

            “Yeah, we should probably get our stuff in the RV.” Each family member grabbed a bag and started carrying them out to the vehicle.

            “Danny, just your bag is left.” Maddie said. “Would you like me to go get it?”

            “No, I’ll get it!” Danny said hurriedly, having left the bag on purpose so he would have an excuse to go into the house by himself. “Just wait here, I’ll be right back.” Everyone piled into the car as Danny jogged back up the steps to the mansion. He paused for just a moment to take a breath before opening the door and slipping inside. Vlad was still standing in the entrance hall, having expected the boy to return.

            “Well Daniel, have you come to a decision regarding my offer?” A heavy silence hung in the room, Danny taking his time to review his decision once more before speaking it.

            “I have.” Vlad raised an eyebrow, obviously waiting for the actual answer. Danny took another deep breath. “I… I want your help. I _need_ your help.” Vlad smiled widely.

            “So you accept?” Danny nodded.

            “Yeah, I accept.” A small smile graced Danny’s face in response to Vlad’s.

            “That’s wonderful to hear, my boy!” Vlad picked up the duffel bag off the floor and handed it to the boy. “I’ll take care of everything, so don’t worry. I’ll be in touch shortly.” Danny nodded, turning to leave. “Oh, and Daniel?” Danny looked back. “Do be gentle with that bag. I’ve left a small gift inside for you.” Danny looked down at it in surprise.

            “Thanks, Vlad.” Danny smiled and waved as he stepped out the door.

            “See you soon, little badger.” The hollow echo of the door sliding shut signaled the awaited fruition of a perfect plan, and rang in the start of a new beginning. But the meaning of that beginning was lost on both of the half-ghosts, neither truly understanding what kind of future they had just created.


	3. A Long-Awaited Call

As Danny pulled the last haphazardly folded shirt out of his duffel bag, he stared in surprise at the large, newspaper-wrapped item that sat at the bottom. He had forgotten already that Vlad had left him a gift in his bag, and now that he saw it, he couldn’t figure out what it might be. After he had stared at it for a moment, he wondered why he was waiting. It wasn’t like it was Christmas; he could open the gift any time he wanted.

            Pulling the large, mostly circular, and somewhat heavy object out of the bag, he set it down on his bed and carefully began unwrapping the newspaper around it. As an edge was revealed, something about it seemed familiar to him. Finally pulling away the last of the makeshift wrapping, Danny stared in wonder at the device sitting before him. It was certainly a familiar thing—a near exact replica of the ghost portal in their basement. Except, this one was about the size of a small beach ball, and had a metal panel on the back instead of being attached to a wall. There was a small note taped to the doors.

 

            _Daniel,_

_This is a fully functioning ghost portal. All you need to do is plug it in to a normal wall socket, and the ecto-filtrator will care for itself. I’ve had this device for many years, but I no longer have use for it. You, however, will certainly have need of it. You see, you can keep this portal in your bedroom, and it will provide quick access to the ghost zone in the event of an emergency. Most humans cannot fit through it, but it should prove no trouble for you in your ghost form. There’s also a button on the side that will send an emergency message to me._

_Please, if you need to, do not hesitate to use this portal and the call button. If you need help of any kind, I can provide it._

_-Vlad_

            Danny set the note down, blinking at the miniature ghost portal still sitting on his bed. _Vlad’s a little bit paranoid, isn’t he? Yet, I can’t deny that it might come in handy…_ He thought to himself. It was clear to him that the threat Vlad was probably afraid of was his parents, and though Danny didn’t want to believe that he would ever need it for that purpose, it was certainly reassuring to have an escape route close by, for whatever he might actually need it for.

            He picked up the device and set it on his desk, next to the large monitor, plugging it into the socket nearby. The light at the top of the portal blinked twice to indicate that it was working. Though he knew it probably wasn’t the best idea, his curiosity got the better of him, and he pressed the large button at the base. As predicted, the yellow and black doors slid open, revealing the familiar swirling green energy.

            Becoming even more curious, Danny stuck his hand inside the opening, looking around to the backside of the device to see that it had, in fact, disappeared. Taking his hand out and feeling a bit braver, Danny leaned over and stuck his head through the portal. After having looked around at the section of the ghost zone the portal was connected to, which looked exactly like every other part, he pulled his head back out and just looked at the thing for a moment.

            The ghost that popped out suddenly startled him, and he nearly fell back in his chair. The tiny ghost was little more than a blob with arms, much like Skulker without his suit. Recovering from the shock, Danny quickly aimed a small blast at it, which sent it back where it came from, then he quickly slammed the button again to close the doors.

            _Okay, so opening the portal outside of emergencies is probably not the best plan._ Danny thought to himself.

* * *

 

Danny jolted awake, covered in a cold sweat. He took a couple deep breaths, trying to calm down, and sat up. He didn’t remember what he had dreamt about, but a lingering feeling of dread hung over his him. He squinted around in the darkness, his eyes alighting on a strange glow off to his left. He was used to the faint glow of the stars affixed to his ceiling, but this was something else, something much brighter. Looking at it for only a brief second, Danny quickly realized it was his emblem, floating ominously in the darkness.

He reached over and flipped on the lamp on his nightstand, squinting against the sudden brightness. The symbol was gone. Frowning in confusion, Danny threw his blankets off and walked over to where he had seen it. Not seeing anything, he turned the light off once more, and the symbol reappeared right where he had seen it before.

He fumbled around in the dark, reaching out towards the glowing mark somehow without knocking anything over. When his fingers hit cold metal, he knew immediately what it was. Keeping his eyes fixed there, he flipped the light on, revealing the miniature ghost portal.

 _He painted my symbol on the door of the portal with some kind of glowing paint... He seems like the kind of guy who would do something like that._ Danny almost laughed, but had to admire the little secret. A small smile lit up his face as he flipped the light off again, gazing at the neatly printed logo.

Finally he returned to his bed, the dark feeling left over from his dream having dissipated.

* * *

 

It had been several months since the reunion, and Danny had been absentmindedly wondering just how long of a period “shortly” was supposed to be when the phone rang. The shrill sound echoed up to his room from downstairs, but he tried to ignore it and just continue working on his homework. He had had a surprisingly long stretch of a few hours today where no ghosts had shown up, and he was uncharacteristically using the time to try and catch up on his work. It was really just a last-ditch attempt to pass, as his grades weren’t looking too good and there was only a few weeks left of the school year.

            Danny stared absentmindedly at the miniature ghost portal Vlad had given him, which he had placed on his desk next to his monitor. _What a weird thing to give as a gift. My parents actually believed I bought it at a garage sale. Who buys a mini ghost portal at a garage sale? Even better, who_ sells _one?_

            Danny’s musing was interrupted by the sound of his father’s booming voice echoing up the stairs.

            “Danny! Come down for a second!” Danny sighed and pushed his rolling chair away from his desk, practically dragging himself out of his room and down the stairs.

            “What is it?” He asked tiredly. Jack just handed him the phone. Danny raised a confused eyebrow at him, raising the phone to his ear. “Hello?”

            “Daniel, so good to speak to you!” The voice on the other end truly sounded joyful, and it only took a split second for Danny to figure out who it was.

            “Vlad?”

            “Yes, my dear boy. I’m terribly sorry it took so long for me to get in contact—I’ve spent this time setting things up for you to come and stay with me for a little bit. You see, I’ve told your parents that you’ll be attending a space camp here in Wisconsin, and that you’ll be staying at my mansion for the summer. This way I can train you without the worry of school or your family. All you have to do is convince them to let you go.”

            “Wow, really?” Danny sounded happily surprised, a little more so than was probably necessary, but he was aware his parents were listening in and wanted to make sure they didn’t get suspicious. Vlad seemed aware of the fact as well.

            “Yes, just tell them you think it’s a good idea, and of course make sure you show some proper enthusiasm. They may not want to part with you for the entire summer, so you’ll have to do some work at convincing them. Of course, I’ve done my best to convince them as well.”

            “Sure, thanks Vlad!”

            “I’ll call back tomorrow. Talk to you soon.”

            “Yeah, bye!” Danny clicked the end button on the phone and handed it back to his dad.

            “So what do you think, Danny? V-Man was telling me how great this space camp would be!”

            “It sounds awesome! Can I go? Please?” Danny begged his parents, though inside he was starting to feel more than a little bit nervous at the idea of staying at Vlad’s house for so long. But he had made a decision, and he was going to stick with it.

            “Well, your father and I need to talk about it first.” Maddie said calmly.

            “Okay, but he said he would call back tomorrow to hear your decision.” Maddie frowned.

            “We’ll discuss it. But for now, it’s dinnertime. Could you go and get your sister?” Danny just nodded and left the kitchen, headed back for the stairs.

* * *

 

            The phone rang loudly and this time Danny jumped up and sprinted down the stairs, knowing already who it was. Although he had asked, his parents had told him last night that they hadn’t come to a decision yet, but he was sure if he put a little pressure on them with Vlad’s phone call, they would agree.

            He grabbed the phone just as his dad was reaching out to pick it up, and hastily put it to his ear.

            “Hello?”

            “Why Daniel, I wasn’t expecting you to pick up first. Did you talk to your parents?”

            “Yeah, they still haven’t decided.”

            “Really? Well, why don’t you ask them again?”

            “Yeah, hang on.” Danny covered the microphone with his hand. “Hey Dad, Mom, it’s Vlad! He wants to know if you’ve decided yet.” A look of concern passed over Maddie’s face.

            “I don’t know…” She began, quickly trailing off.

            “Oh come on, Maddie, let him go! You know Vlad’ll take good care of him!” She still looked unsure, even slightly uncomfortable at the mention of Vlad.

            “Well… I suppose we could—”

            “Thank you, Mom! Thank you!” Danny jumped and hugged his mom tightly, cutting her off mid-sentence before she could change her mind. Immediately she softened, accepting the hug, her concerns vanishing.

            “But you have to call us at least once a week!” She said as Danny pulled away from her.

            “Sure thing, Mom!” Danny put the phone back up to his ear.

            “They said I can come!” He told Vlad as though he couldn’t just hear the entire exchange.

            “That’s great, my boy! I’ll come and pick you up on the Saturday after your school gets out. Make sure you pack ahead of time.”

            “Yeah, I’ll be ready!”

            “Good. I look forward to seeing you, little badger.”

            “See you soon!” With that, Danny hung up the phone, smiling happily at his parents. “I’m going to start getting ready!” He said, voice chock full of added enthusiasm as he ran off towards the stairs.

            “Make sure you do your homework, too!” Maddie shouted after him.

* * *

 

            The day had finally come, and as Danny dragged himself out of bed, he was hit with an intense nervousness that had been building over the two weeks since he had last talked to Vlad. Now that it was the morning of the day when Vlad would be coming to pick him up, he almost felt a little weak in the knees. He tried to stuff the feeling down as he grabbed his clean clothes and headed to the bathroom down the hall. His shower went surprisingly quick, despite how tired he was. He hadn’t slept well in several days, due to the nervousness and trying to pass all of his classes. He had, however, passed, and with that weight lifted he had slept a little better.

            Danny pulled his clean clothes on, brushed his teeth, combed his hair, then gathered up his pajamas from the floor and walked back to his room. After dropping them in the hamper, he just stared at his room for a moment. The nervousness he felt had caused him to pack last weekend, so there was really nothing to do now. That only made it worse, his gut seeming to flip as he continued to stare at the oddly clean room.

            Finally, Danny decided to go downstairs and eat something. His parents and sister were already at the table, eating the pancakes his mother had apparently made.

            “Good morning, sweetie! Help yourself to some pancakes.” Danny did just that, sitting down across the table and attempting to drown his pancakes in syrup. He consumed them in a matter of minutes, much like an animal that hadn’t eaten anything in days. He didn’t even seem to notice.

            “Is everything alright, Danny?” His mother asked.

            “Yeah, it’s just that… I’ve never been away from home for so long, you know? I’m going to miss you guys.” It was part of the truth, at least.

            “We’ll miss you too, Danny! But don’t worry, you’ll be just fine! And we’ll be in touch.” She took a bite of her pancakes. “Are you all packed?” Danny just nodded.

            “Hey Danny! I have something I want you to take with you!” Jack said, whipping the Specter Deflector seemingly out of nowhere and shoving it into the boy’s hands. “Just in case; make sure you don’t lose it!” Danny smiled awkwardly and nodded, nervously eying the device in his hands. He promptly dropped it on the table, not wanting to risk the pain that might come from touching it too long.

            “Jack, there aren’t any ghosts at Vlad’s house. I thought we discussed this during the reunion.” Jack made a face, but didn’t say anything. The doorbell rang suddenly.

            “I’ll get it!” Danny jumped up and headed for the front of the house. As he swung open the door, the tall man holding the black briefcase outside smiled down at him. “Morning, Vlad!” Danny said, gesturing for the man to come inside.

            “It’s good to see you, Daniel! Are you ready to go?”

            “Yeah, I just gotta get my stuff from upstairs. And my shoes.” He turned and ran off, Vlad finding his way into the kitchen.

* * *

 

            Danny reappeared in the kitchen with his suitcase after several minutes of double-checking to make sure he had everything. His nervousness was at an all-time high, so much so that his hands were shaking slightly.

            _Why am I so nervous about this? It’s not a big deal. I’m just going to Vlad’s house for the summer. Nothing to worry about._ Danny’s attempts to soothe his nerves didn’t work very well.

            His friends had appeared just in time to say goodbye, Sam blaming their tardiness on Tucker misplacing his PDA. Danny had told them all about Vlad and his plans to stay with him for the summer, and though they were sad to see him go for so long, they were happy that he was getting some much needed help.

            Danny said all of his goodbyes and followed Vlad out of the house with his large suitcase, climbing into the taxi waiting at the curb.

            “So how are we getting to your house…?” Danny asked, obviously confused that they were in a taxi and not a car.

            “We’re flying, of course. The taxi will take us to the small airport in the next town over. My jet is waiting there.”

            “ _Your_ jet?” Vlad laughed at the boy’s obvious amazement.

            “Yes, _my_ jet. It will take us directly to our destination.” The two half-ghosts fell silent for a few minutes before Danny voiced a thought that had suddenly occurred to him.

            “Hey, Vlad?”

            “Hmm?”

            “Why’d you pick a space camp?”

            “What do you mean?”

            “You’re taking me to a space camp—” Danny was aware of the presence of the driver, so he refrained from saying the actual situation. The strange, nervous sensation in his stomach startled him again—it was almost like he was willingly being kidnapped, having lied to his parents about the whole situation. He quickly pushed the feeling down and finished his question. “How did you know that that’s where I would want to go?” Finally understanding the boy’s confusion, Vlad quickly responded.

            “I saw the astronomy book you left on the desk when you came for the reunion. It doesn’t take a lot of extra reasoning to figure it out—most fourteen-year-olds don’t own astronomy textbooks, especially when they attend a school that does not offer the subject.” Danny laughed awkwardly.

            “Yeah, I guess not.” They fell back into their silence, Vlad finally pulling out a newspaper to occupy himself on the ride to the airport. There were so many things he wanted to ask Danny, but they would have to wait until they got on the plane.

            Likewise, there were many things Danny wanted to know, but he was also forced to wait. The drive went by in complete silence, only the occasional sniffle or sigh breaking it.

            When they finally arrived at the airport, they went through a very quick security check, Vlad showing both of their passports, and boarded Vlad’s private jet. There were no attendants on board, only the two pilots who quickly sealed the door when their passengers had stepped inside.

            “Holy crap!” Danny exclaimed, looking around at the extremely posh plane. Everything was decorated in the customary white color of airplanes, but instead of the uncomfortable and narrow aisles, the area was open, containing a couch, a small table with two chairs, a bed, a large flat screen, and a fully stocked bar.

            “Please make yourself at home, Daniel.” Vlad said with a small smirk. Danny was doing just that. “I had them stock the fridge with soda for you, and there are other snacks in the cabinets.” Danny looked up at the man, arms already full of chips, drinks, and candy bars. Vlad just stared at him in shock. “You know, Daniel, the food will be there. You don’t have to take it all with you.” Danny smiled sheepishly, plopping down on the couch with his huge pile of snacks. Vlad shook his head, but said nothing and took a seat in one of the nearby chairs.

            “So, Daniel. How long have you had your powers?” Danny looked a bit surprised at the sudden question, but quickly swallowed his mouthful of chips so he could answer.

            “Six months now.” It was Vlad’s turn to look surprised, his eyes widening as he looked at the boy still stuffing his face.

            “Six _months_? You mean that the last time I saw you, you had only had your powers for _three_?” Danny nodded. “Remarkable…” Vlad shook his head to clear his thoughts. “And it was because you stepped into your father’s ghost portal, yes?” Danny nodded once more, momentarily ceasing his hyper speed consumption of chips.

            “Yeah… it didn’t work, so waited until everyone went to bed and then went inside to see if I could see what was wrong. I don’t know why I thought I would be able to figure it out, but I guess I was also a bit curious…” Danny laughed, the sound coming out slightly twisted. “I guess curiosity killed the cat, huh?” He smiled sadly. “I accidently hit something, and the portal turned on while I was still inside. I don’t think I’ve ever felt pain like that in my life. It was unbearable…” Danny trailed off, his voice seeming to waver slightly. “After that, the ghosts started to come out of the portal, so I took up the responsibility of sending them back where they came from.”

            “What did you do when you first realized…?”

            “I panicked. I woke up on the floor just outside the portal, and as soon as I saw the hazmat suit I freaked out and ran to the bathroom. When I saw my hair and eyes, I started screaming. I woke up my parents and my sister, but before they arrived, I had already changed back. They calmed me down and got me back to my room, and I was convinced it had just been a dream. Sleepwalking, you know? But a couple days later, I woke up as I started phasing through the bed and the floor, and I couldn’t write it off anymore.” Danny took a deep breath. “It took a while, but I figured out how to will the other half forward, and after it stopped scaring me, I started to understand what had happened, and what I could do. That’s when all the ghosts started appearing.” Danny finished his story, taking a large bite of a piece of liquorice.

            Vlad was silent for several moments, remembering the trauma he had experienced trying to understand his new powers. That was twenty years ago, but the pain was still fresh, as though it had happened just yesterday.

            “Did you tell anyone?”

            “Just Sam and Tucker. They’re my two best friends, and they’ve been helping me fight the ghosts. I know I can trust them.” Vlad disagreed, but he bit his tongue and didn’t mention it.

            “And what about me, little badger? Do you trust me?” The expression of pure shock on Danny’s face was almost comical. He swallowed the liquorice, looking completely uncertain, and was just about to respond when Vlad cut him off. “It’s okay, you don’t have to answer that.” Danny frowned, watching the man for a moment, but held back his answer. The overhead speaker came on, interrupting the awkward silence.

            “We’ll be taking off now. Please strap yourselves into the safety seats until we are in the air.” Vlad signaled for Danny to follow him as he pulled aside a large curtain behind the bar. Off to the left was the bathroom, and directly in front of them were four normal airplane seats, equipped with belts.

            After they had buckled themselves in, Vlad pushed a button to inform the pilot they were ready, and the plane slowly taxied to the runway. Danny seemed to enjoy the takeoff, watching the clouds pass the window like an excited puppy in a car, whereas Vlad seemed completely bored, certainly having seen it all before many times. When the pilot finally said they could return to the main area, Danny quickly got up and returned to the couch and his snacks, Vlad sitting down at the table with a small breakfast.

            “So Vlad, when will we get there?”

            “It will take approximately two hours.” Vlad said, before taking a bite of the egg toast he was holding. “When we land at the airport, my driver will pick us up and take us to my mansion.”

            “You have a _driver_ too?” Vlad looked up at him quizzically.

            “Honestly, Daniel, I have a private jet, butler, and chef, and it surprises you that I also have a driver?”

            “Hey, most people don’t have that kind of stuff. Even you have to admit it’s surprising.” Vlad shrugged noncommittally. “What about the pilots?”

            “I hired them temporarily.” Danny just stared at the man for a moment, then shrugged as well and went back to eating his liquorice, flipping on the TV. “So, Daniel, may I ask you something else?”

            “Sure.”

            “You’ve seemed a bit nervous since we left your house. Are you alright?” Danny was silent for a moment.

            “Yeah, it’s just that… I’ve never been away from home for so long.”

            “Daniel, you don’t have to hide anything from me.” Danny held Vlad’s eyes for a minute before finally looking away.

            “I’m just a little nervous about staying with you. I mean honestly, I don’t know you that well. And you’re going to be training me too… I’m not sure if I’m even ready for this.”

            “It’s natural to feel a little uncertain, but I promise you that you will be just fine. If you can hold your own against Skulker, I’m quite certain a little bit of training will be no problem for you.” Danny smiled, happy for the reassurance, though he was internally wondering how Vlad knew about his fights with Skulker.

            They each went back to their activities, Vlad working on some important business, Danny watching a really bad comedy movie to pass the time. Before long had passed, Danny had eaten himself sick, him now lying on the couch with his hand over his stomach next to the discarded chip bags and soda cans.

            “We’ll be landing in Wisconsin in about twenty more minutes. Please gather your things and prepare to land.” With the announcement, Vlad tucked his papers back in his briefcase, snapping it shut. Seeming to finally notice Danny, Vlad turned and looked at the boy sprawled out on the couch.

            “Daniel, we’ll be landing soon. You need to get up.” Danny waved one hand flippantly.

            “Yeah, yeah, I heard. Just… one second. I need to rest.” He breathed heavily, trying to settle his overindulged stomach.

            “Let this be a lesson to control yourself, then. Now come along; get up.” Danny waited for a moment more before finally rolling himself off the couch and standing up slowly. His stomach growled loudly, protesting the movement.

            “Bathroom.” Danny said simply, finding his way back behind the curtain to the tiny bathroom. Vlad shook his head, almost laughing to himself. _That boy needs to learn a little self-restraint. Nothing I can’t help him with, of course…_ The man stood, walking over to one of the cabinets and fishing around inside. He found the bottle he wanted just as Danny returned from the bathroom.

            “Here, take some of these.” Vlad handed him the small bottle of stomach medicine.

            “Thanks, Vlad!” The boy downed two of the tablets, eagerly waiting for the pain in his stomach to subside. As he turned to sit back down, he saw the large mess he had left and groaned to himself before leaning over to start cleaning it up. He made quick work of it, dropping the wrappers and chip bags in the trash and the cans in the recycling. There were still crumbs everywhere, but there wasn’t much he could do about it, so he just laid back down on the couch.

            “We’re approaching the airport. Please return to your seats.” Danny groaned loudly again.

            “I just laid down!” He complained.

            “Come along, Daniel, it’s only a few feet.” Danny rolled back onto his feet once more, following Vlad and strapping himself into the airplane seats. Danny’s face was immediately glued to the window again, eyes watching the world slowly come up to meet them.

            Touching back down with a jolt, the plane slowly came to a stop and taxied to its gate. Gathering up their briefcase and suitcase respectively, the two passengers disembarked and headed down the causeway. They left the small airport quite quickly, having no baggage to pick up.

            “Mr. Masters!” A man standing near a large limo in front of the airport called out.

            “Ah, Byron, right on time, as always.”

            “You have a _limo_ , too?” Danny stared in disbelief for a moment before shaking his head. “You know what? Never mind. Of course you do.” Vlad smirked.

            “Come along, Daniel.” Vlad climbed into the limo as his driver opened the door, Danny following shortly after, leaving his suitcase for the driver to put in the trunk. The puff of blue mist that slithered out of the boy’s mouth made him tense, looking around suspiciously at all the people nearby. “Calm down, my boy. It’s nothing to worry about.” The driver shut the door.

            “What do you mean it’s nothing to worry about? There’s a ghost nearby!”

            “Of course there is. And that ghost happens to be my driver.” Danny blinked.

            “Wait, your driver’s a _ghost_?” Vlad nodded, completely unconcerned.

            “Of course. How do you think I’ve kept my secret so well all these years?”

            “But he looks so… so _human._ ” Vlad raised an eyebrow.

            “You do too.”

            “I’m not a ghost!”

            “You’re half a ghost. Honestly, Daniel, if you can be half ghost and half human, why is it so surprising that some ghosts can _appear_ human?” Danny looked a little put off.

            “I dunno, I’ve just never seen it before.”

            “Ah, but you have. It’s the same with my chef and my butler.” Danny stared at him for a moment, then turned his attention to the window and the town rolling by.

            “Of course. Of course all your servants are ghosts. Why not?” Danny sounded almost bitter, for a reason Vlad couldn’t quite grasp. He just chuckled to himself and turned to the papers in his briefcase.

            After about twenty minutes had passed, the limo rolled into the circular drive in front of Vlad’s house, coming to a stop in front of the large mansion.

            “Wouldn’t it have been faster to just fly here from the airport?”

            “Yes, but do you want to carry a large suitcase on a flight that far?” Danny frowned, realizing he was right. He turned and climbed out of the car when Byron opened the door for him, watching the man intently. Vlad climbed out behind him, and the driver quickly retrieved Danny’s suitcase from the trunk, rolling it over to him.

            When Danny had taken it, they started up the massive stairs leading to the door, Danny dragging the heavy case up each step.

            “Daniel, you know that would be much easier to carry if you use your ghost energy, correct?” Danny turned from his case and looked up at the man quizzically. Realizing with a start that the boy didn’t know what he was talking about, he elaborated. “Just funnel some of your powers into your muscles, and you’ll gain some of the strength you have in your ghost form. It’s quite simple.” Danny seemed to try it for a moment, with no success, and quickly gave up on it. Glancing back at Vlad awkwardly, he transformed into Phantom, floated the case to the top of the stairs, and changed back. Vlad rolled his eyes. “We’ll work on that one later.” The large doors in front of them seemed to open on their own, the quiet butler standing in the shadows behind them.

            “Thank you, Christophe.” Vlad said as he stepped inside. Danny followed after, suitcase rattling noisily as he rolled it over the doorframe. Danny couldn’t help but look around again, taking in the huge mansion. It had only been a few months since he had seen it last, but it was still impressive to look at. He snapped back to reality when Christophe tried to take his suitcase from him. Danny resisted letting him take it.

            “Hey, I got it dude! I can handle a suitcase.” Christophe looked slightly concerned, but seeing that Vlad wasn’t insisting upon his help, he quickly bowed and backed away. Danny turned, and seeing Vlad ascending the left stairs, quickly transformed and floated up to join him, suitcase hanging from one hand.

            “You’ll be staying in one of the master bedrooms upstairs. Everything has been prepared for you, but if you should need anything, you may feel free to call upon Christophe.” Vlad seemed to ignore the fact that the boy was floating beside him, right up to when he reached the top of the stairs and changed back. Walking a short distance down the hall, Vlad opened one of the many doors. “Here is your room.” Danny stepped inside, setting his suitcase near the door and admiring the large room. It was bigger than the one he had stayed in previously, and had a few extra amenities, like a television and a walk-in closet. “My room is just down the hall. We’ll be having lunch at one, so please meet me in the dining room then. I’ll leave you to get settled in.” With that, Vlad shut the door and disappeared down the hall.

            Danny marveled at the room, examining various things before finally lying down on the bed. His stomachache for the most part had subsided, the empty junk having quickly dissolved. He stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, the reality hitting him suddenly that he was going to be living in this mansion, in this room, for the whole summer. With another half-ghost. Away from his family and friends.

            Danny felt a twinge of regret for a moment, thinking about them, but quickly pushed the feeling away. _This is going to help me. I need to do this._ Danny couldn’t help but feel a bit strange in this room, it being so alien to him, knowing that a man he had only known for a short time but who knew his deepest secret resided just down the hall. The boy took a deep breath to calm his nerves and stood up again, pulling his suitcase onto the bed and unpacking a few things.

            He left his toiletries on the bathroom sink, draped his jacket over the office chair in front of the desk, set his game console in front of the TV to be hooked up later, and finally pulled out the miniature ghost portal. He had taken it with him, since he didn’t want his parents examining it while he was away. At a loss for where to put it, he finally set it on the desk and plugged it in, wanting to make sure the ecto-filtrator could do its job.

            Deciding to leave his clothes in his suitcase for now, he zipped it back up and set it inside the empty closet. He laid back down on the bed, biding his time until he had to go downstairs for lunch. He realized quickly that he hadn’t been paying close attention, and didn’t know where exactly his room was upstairs. _Guess I’ll have to wander a bit and figure it out_. He thought to himself, quickly standing heading for the door. Taking one last look around the room, he seized the doorknob and pulled the door open, stepping back out into the hall. Seeing both directions looked the same, he sighed to himself.

            _Yeah, this is going to take some getting used to._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote a short one-shot about how Danny’s symbol is still on his suit in an AU where Memory Blank didn’t happen. So if it bothers you to be without an explanation like it does me, you can check that out on my Tumblr art blog: astrocomposertales.tumblr.com/post/58215902963/fanfic-one-shot-emblem
> 
> Also, nobody’s really sure exactly where Amity Park is/is supposed to be, but I just assumed a plane would probably be the more comfortable/efficient way of getting to Vlad’s house, though we know you can take about a two day drive there. Vlad just doesn’t seem like the road trip type, haha.


	4. Growing Accustomed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a little bit shorter than usual; it's a bit of a transitional chapter.

Danny stared at the food in front of him, frowning in confusion. Vlad had already started eating, neatly and politely placing small portions of food into his mouth. Danny however, couldn’t figure out what it was he was looking at, and wasn’t too keen on the idea of eating it without figuring that out first. It appearedto be some sort of pasta, but the sauce on it wasn’t red or white or even green; it was _purple._ There were small piles of vegetables lining the plate, most of which Danny had never seen before either, and the more he stared, the more the plate looked less like food and more like one of his dad’s experiments gone horribly wrong.

            “What’s wrong, Daniel?” Vlad asked, having subtly watched the boy since the food was set down. Danny’s head snapped up to look at the man, pulled out of his food-related musings.

            “Uh… what is this?” He asked, gesturing vaguely towards the plate with his fork. Vlad smirked.

            “It’s pasta, of course. Spaghetti, to be more specific.”

            “Yeah, but what’s… the rest of it?”

            “The sauce is made from plums. The vegetables are collard greens, bean sprouts, taro leaves, cauliflower, and bamboo shoots. On the top of the pasta is plain mint.” Danny blinked at him.

            “Why would you put _plum sauce_ on pasta?” He asked in disbelief.

            “Why don’t you try it and see?” Danny stared at him for a moment more, eyes narrowing slightly, before he picked up a forkful of the strangely colored pasta and shoved it into his mouth. Vlad watched him intently as he chewed the enormous bite of tangy pasta, his expression slowly changing. “Well?”

            “It’s… actually not bad.” Danny admitted grudgingly.

            “See? It’s better to try things before judging them.” Vlad said smugly.

            “Yeah, yeah, sure.” Danny said. Looking down at the plate once more, the strange rainbow of food colors reminded him of something. “Fruit loop; eating weird colored food.” He muttered under his breath.

            “What was that?”

            “Uh… nothing.” Danny said quickly, shoving another bite in his mouth. Vlad raised an eyebrow at him, but didn’t say anything more about it.

            “Daniel, why don’t you try taking smaller bites? It’s a wonder you don’t get sick eating so fast.” Danny slowed down a little bit, blushing awkwardly, but nevertheless, his eating style left a lot to be desired. Vlad only had to suffer through it for a few more minutes, though, as the boy quickly cleaned the plate—minus the vegetables, of course. Vlad decided not to mention that one just yet, either.

            Danny waited surprisingly patiently for Vlad to finish his meal, and Christophe soon came to take the plates away.

            “So, Daniel, I believe we have a few things to chat about.”

            “We do?” Vlad stared at him.

            “Of course we do! If I’m going to be training you, I need to know a few things.”

            “Oh, right. What do you want to know?”

            “How many ghosts have you fought?” Danny thought for a second.

            “I’m not really sure. I lost track somewhere around fifty. I’ve fought a few of them more than once, too.”

            “And what powers do you currently possess?”

            “Well, I can fly, turn intangible, turn invisible, turn my legs into a tail, shoot ecto-blasts, make shields, and overshadow people.” Danny said, counting things off on his fingers. “Oh, and I’ve been trying to learn to duplicate myself.” Vlad paused before his next question, seeming surprised that the boy had already tried to indirectly learn something from him.

            “And how has that gone?” Danny rubbed the back of his neck.

            “Not very well. I can’t quite manage to split all the way; the best I can do is one really wide body with two heads.” Vlad resisted the urge to laugh; he remembered what it was like when he first tried to duplicate.

            “It’s a hard trick, but we can work on it.”

            “Hey, Vlad?”

            “Yes?”

            “You can teleport, right?”

            “That I can, my boy.”

            “How do you do that? I don’t have the slightest clue how to even _try_ it.”

            “It’s a very difficult power, one that takes a long time to master. It’s not as difficult as duplicating, though, so you should be able to teleport at least short distances before you have to return home.” Danny smiled. “But before that, we must work on the basics. I need to see what you can do.”

            “Okay, so when do we start?”

            “Whenever you feel you’re ready. I wouldn’t want to rush you, but the sooner, the better, of course.” Danny seemed to think for a moment, arms crossing unconsciously.

            “I guess… we could just start right now. I mean, it’s not like I’m going to be any more ready.” The corner of Vlad’s mouth tugged upward as he listened.

            “That’s just what I’d hoped you would say.” The man stood up and signaled for Danny to follow him, walking briskly out of the entrance on the far side of the room. The boy followed closely behind, wondering where exactly they were going.

            When Vlad led him out one of the back entrance and continued to walk away from the mansion, Danny finally noticed the large building nearby. Well, it looked more like a small stadium, actually. Danny stopped in his tracks.

            “Wait, that wasn’t there before, was it? I mean, at the reunion?” Vlad realized the boy had stopped walking and turned to face him.

            “No, it was not. I had it built specially.” Danny blinked in surprise.

            “Specially? How was it even built that fast?” Vlad laughed pompously.

            “Daniel, my boy, when you have as much money as I do, you really can build Rome in a day.” The reference seemed to fly right over the boy’s head, but he understood the meaning all the same.

            “But what’s it for?”

            “Isn’t it obvious? It’s a training arena. I usually practice inside the ghost zone, however I felt that you would probably not be comfortable with that, so I had this built. It has a subterranean area beneath it, as well.” Danny just stared at him.

            “You built an entire _arena_ just to _train me_?” The boy was shocked, and more than a little embarrassed, knowing that arenas weren’t exactly cheap to build.

            “I really have more money than I know what to do with, Daniel. It was well worth it to have it built. It’s helpful to me as well, so you can stop blushing about it.” Danny suddenly became aware of how hot his face was, frowning almost angrily. Vlad just laughed heartedly and turned, resuming his walk towards the large structure.

            _He seems to get a kick out of embarrassing me sometimes. Just like my parents._ Danny thought bitterly, crossing his arms. However, his annoyance was quickly washed away as they finally arrived at the entrance to the arena, Vlad unlocking the door and holding it open for Danny to enter first. It was a short jaunt through a tunnel before the area opened up, revealing the football field that had previously been in the open air. The walls of the arena stretched upwards on all sides, capped by a flat roof about a hundred feet above.

            Vlad took a remote from his pocket and hit several buttons, causing the goals to retract partway into the ground before the entire football field flipped over, revealing a field with a separate set of strange marks Danny hadn’t seen before. The large lights on either side came on, temporarily blinding Danny. As his eyes adjusted, he saw that several targets had appeared throughout the large area, and the words on the scoreboard mounted on one side of the arena had changed.

            “How did you…” Danny began in awe, quickly cutting himself off. He didn’t want to give Vlad another chance to embarrass him. “What’s up with the scoreboard?” He asked instead, jerking his thumb towards it.

            “It can measure the strength of the energy that hits either of the targets mounted on the other ends of the goal posts.” Danny looked up.

            “And the black thing on the ceiling?” He asked, pointing up at the large black rectangle that was suspended flat against the ceiling.

            “It can measure the speed of an intangible object traveling through it. And before you ask, I can explain anything else as we go.” Vlad morphed into Plasmius, startling Danny. “Well?” Vlad asked, Danny quickly realizing he was supposed to do the same. He smiled awkwardly and morphed, both of them now floating slightly above the ground.

            “Alright, what first?” Danny asked, masking his nervousness by crossing his arms and attempting to look sure of himself.

            “We’ll just do a few warm-ups. I want to make sure any tests are an accurate representation of your abilities. Just hit any of the targets except the ones on the goal posts.” Vlad shot one of the targets, without turning his head, to demonstrate. It shook, but seemed to absorb the attack. “They’re imbedded with a type of ghost energy, so they won’t be destroyed when you hit them. Now, go ahead.” Vlad crossed his arms, watching the boy and waiting.

            Danny glanced at him once before he flew forward, launching attacks at whatever targets were within view. He varied the strengths, some of the targets shaking violently before absorbing the energy, others seeming barely effected. After he had been doing this for a solid minute, Vlad called out for him to stop.

            “That’s enough now.” Vlad said, waving his hand for Danny to stop. “That should be just fine. We’ll start with the speed test. Get up to the fastest speed you can muster, then fly through the ceiling panel, there.” Vlad said, pointing upwards at the aforementioned panel. “Then just come back in through the wall.” Danny nodded, shooting off to start circling the large arena, gradually building up speed before flying at top speed through the ceiling. As he returned through the wall, he noticed the score board calculating, before the bright number “135” appeared. Vlad smiled.

            “Not bad, Daniel. Not bad at all.” The boy looked over from where he was floating near one of the goal posts.

            “So how fast can you go?”

            “About two hundred miles per hour, give or take.” Vlad waved his hand. “But never mind that now. Your intangibility powers are obviously up to par. And your invisibility—” Danny anticipated what he would ask and quickly became invisible. “Also up to par.” Vlad finished with a smirk, the boy popping back into visibility. “Produce a shield.”

            The boy produced a large orb around himself, floating in place. Without warning, Vlad fired a strong pink blast at the shield. Danny yelped at the sudden attack, but managed to hold the shield up while he was pushed back several feet in the air.

            “Hey! Give me some warning before you attack me, fruit loop!” He protested, dropping the shield. Vlad laughed.

            “‘Fruit loop,’ Daniel? Really?” Vlad shook his head at the absurd nickname, still smiling. “I merely wished to check the integrity of your shield. If I had warned you, you would have put more effort into maintaining it, and I wouldn’t have a very good idea of how well you can maintain auxiliary powers. Or how fast you can react.” Vlad laughed again when Danny glared at him. “Don’t worry, there’s only one test left.” He pointed at the target next to where Danny was floating. “Hit that with the strongest ecto-blast you can manage.”

            Danny glanced at it before floating away to get a better angle. He watched Vlad for a moment before turning his back, now slightly more wary of the man. He then put his hands together, forming a small ball of energy and letting it concentrate there, the ball growing in size, pushing his hands further and further until he could barely hold it in place. In one smooth movement, he repositioned his hands and sent the ball flying at the target, hitting it right in the center, the entire post shaking and creaking from the force of the attack. The area was bathed in an eerie green light as the target absorbed the attack.

            As he looked towards the score board, waiting for something to appear, he gently floated down and landed on the ground next to the tall post. After a moment, a number appeared on the left side of the board.

            “Two hundred seventy eight, hmm?” Vlad’s hand floated up to his face, coming to rest on his chin. “Run potential scale analysis.” He said to nothing in particular. A loud, computerized female voice rang through the arena.

            “Running potential scale analysis based on currently gathered data.” Danny looked over at Vlad.

            “What was that?”

            “There’s a computer built into the arena, which manages the board and other aspects of the training equipment.”

            “What’s it doing?”

            “You’ll see in a moment.” Danny obviously wasn’t satisfied with the answer, but crossed his arms and waited.

            “Results calculated.” After a moment, a new number appeared on the right side of the board. Vlad’s eyes widened.

            “ _Five hundred!?_ ” He glanced over at Danny, the boy luckily not noticing the strange look that passed his features. “That can’t be right.” He muttered to himself. “Computer! Recalculate potential scale analysis.” He barked.

            “Recalculating potential scale analysis. …… Results calculated.” The large number “500” blinked, indicating the result was the same. Vlad’s eyes narrowed.

            “Clear results, but retain acquired data.”

            “Results cleared.” The “500” disappeared. “Acquired data retained for continued testing.” Vlad turned towards Danny once more.

            “Daniel, hit the target once more, however, do your strongest _quick_ attack.” Danny nodded, still confused and slightly put off by Vlad’s obvious agitation from the computer.

            He turned and made a ball of energy with one hand, releasing it almost immediately towards the target. The pole shook, though of course not as much as with the previous attack, and absorbed the energy quickly. After a moment, the board lit up with a new number.

            “One hundred fifty two.” Vlad read the number. “Computer, set up shield test. Set attack strength scale at four hundred two.”

            “Shield test set up for left target. Attack strength scale set to four hundred two.”

            “Daniel, come over here.” Vlad beckoned. The boy floated over and stood next to the man, looking up at him. “Put your strongest shield around that target, and keep your concentration.” Vlad said, pointing to the same target Danny had been hitting. Danny did as he was asked, producing a green shield over the target and planting his feet.

            Vlad built up an energy ball between his hands, much like Danny had just a few minutes ago, and after a moment, released it towards the target. On impact, the metal pole screeched at an ear-shattering volume, causing Danny to slap his hands over his ears, the entire pole bending nearly completely backwards but somehow managing to return to its upright position as the pink color in the arena dissipated. Danny had only managed to keep the shield up for a moment after the blast hit, the powerful attack utterly destroying the shield. The board displayed a new number as the two halfas turned towards it.

            “Two hundred sixty five.” Vlad read. “Computer, run potential scale analysis using all acquired data.”

            “Running potential scale analysis with all acquired data. …… Results calculated.”

            “Oh, butter biscuits! It must be broken!” Vlad cursed upon seeing the same “500” displayed on the right side of the board.

            “Why? What’s it doing?” Danny finally couldn’t take the suspense anymore. Vlad started, apparently having forgotten the presence of the boy.

            “This computer is designed to measure the power of a ghost by how much energy it puts out, but it also has the ability to accurately predict how much power that particular ghost is capable of wielding. In other words, it can predict exactly how high your power level will be when you have maxed out your abilities.”

            “So, when you’ve mastered all your powers; that’s the level it’s predicting?” Vlad nodded.

            “For example, my power level is currently at four hundred two. My maximum predicted power level is four hundred fifteen. Once I reach that level, I may gain new powers, but they will never be stronger than any that I currently possess. I cannot produce an attack stronger than four hundred fifteen points.”

            “So… it’s predicting my power level at five hundred?” Vlad nodded again.

            “But it must be an error.” Danny smirked.

            “Why? Can’t believe that I could be stronger than you?” Vlad shook his head.

            “Not at all, dear boy. In fact, I _expected_ your level to be higher than mine, as you’ve gained your powers earlier and were exposed to more energy when you first gained those powers. By all accounts, you _should_ have a higher potential than me.” Vlad frowned. “However, the level it is predicting is simply not possible.” Danny frowned as well.

            “Why not?”

            “A ghost’s power level is measured on a scale from zero to, well, five hundred.” Danny’s eyes widened. “There is not a single ghost that has reached a power level of five hundred, nor has there ever been one predicted to be _able_ to reach that level. Therefore, it must be an error.”

            “Yeah… it must be.” Danny agreed.

            “I’ll figure out what went wrong and fix it and we can rerun the test later. But for now, I think that’s enough for today, hmm?” Danny nodded, white rings changing him back into his human self. Vlad followed suit, leading them out of the arena.

* * *

 

            “So Daniel, are you feeling any better yet?” Danny nearly choked on his orange juice from the sudden question, quickly setting the glass down.

            “What do you mean?” The boy asked, pretending he didn’t know what the man was talking about.

            “I mean, of course, do you feel less nervous about staying with me? You’ve been awfully quiet throughout dinner.” Vlad reiterated, folding his fingers together under his chin. Danny rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, staring intently at his half-eaten steak.

            “Well, yeah, I feel a bit better, but I’ve just been wondering about that scoreboard…” He trailed off, unsure what to say. Vlad waved his hand.

            “Oh, it’s nothing to worry about, my boy. I’ll have it fixed soon and then the tests can be rerun.” Danny nodded halfheartedly. Vlad knew he wasn’t being completely honest, but decided it was probably best to give him some space. It simply would take some time for the boy to become accustomed to this different way of life—a life where he didn’t have to hide half of his identity or pretend he was okay when he was not. _I simply must be patient—the boy will warm up to this new lifestyle, and eventually he will realize that he belongs with me. Yes, just simple patience will bring him over to my side._ Vlad thought to himself.

            Danny went back to halfheartedly eating his steak, thinking about his friends and family and just how long the summer was. _Did I rush into this? I mean, I barely know this guy. It’s not like there’s anything wrong with him; I feel like he can really help me, but there’s still a part of me that’s wondering if I made the right choice… how long will it be until I stop feeling so nervous?_ The thought of sleeping in the room that Vlad had given him, in a bed that was not his was just accentuating everything that was different. Finally, he dropped his fork.

            “I think I’m done eating. I’m full.” Vlad gazed at the boy, a look of concern briefly crossing his features.

            “You may feel free to do something else then. There’s full cable access in your bedroom, and of course there are many things around the castle to do. You may go to bed whenever you wish, but you will be woken up at eight AM sharp.” Vlad told him. Danny simply nodded and got up, excusing himself from the dining room and heading up the main stairs towards his bedroom. He figured he’d just watch some TV to clear his head and then go to sleep. He was surprisingly exhausted.

            Vlad watched the boy leave, frowning to himself upon noticing the boy’s hunched shoulders and overall depressed demeanor. _Patience, Vladimir. Patience. He’s in an unfamiliar situation. He simply needs time to acclimate._ Though Vlad kept telling himself these things, a large, nagging part of him felt rather helpless. After all, what could he do to make the boy feel better? He had tomorrow to stay with him, but come Monday he would have to go and attend to his businesses during part of the day. It’s not like he would be away for long, but the boy would be alone in the castle—aside from the butler and chef, of course—the entire time. _Yes, I’ll have to make a point to show him the castle tomorrow. I showed him around before the reunion, but now that he’s staying here he needs to know that everything here is at his disposal._ Vlad dabbed the corner of his mouth with his napkin and stood, deciding to retire to his own bedroom for the night.


	5. Unfamiliar Atmosphere

Surprisingly, it was the knocking that woke Danny up, and not the accompanying freezing mist floating from his mouth, the delirious boy’s eyes darting around the room, noticing the thick comforter, the large TV, the bathroom door which was cracked open just slightly.

            “Master Daniel, it is time to wake up.” Danny cleared his throat and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

            “Yeah okay.” He called. “But please, my name is Danny.” He added.

            “Very well, Master Danny. Please make your way down to the dining room for breakfast.” Danny rolled his eyes, wanting the butler to stop calling him “Master,” but he quickly gave up the ghost, so to speak.

            “I’ll be down in a little bit.” He felt the ghost’s presence retreat down the hall, and he quickly peeled back the thick blanket and made his way into the bathroom.

            Danny opted not to take a shower to save time, though the luxurious tub was calling out to him. Instead, he quickly used the toilet, brushed his teeth, and ran his fingers through his hair, finally returning to the main area of the oversized bedroom. He grabbed his bag from the closet and picked a random pair of jeans and a t-shirt, changing into them and tossing his pajamas haphazardly on the bed.

            Taking a last look around, he yanked open the door and took a right towards the stairs, finding his way down to the dining room somehow without getting lost. Vlad greeted him from the head of the table as he pushed through the swinging door.

“Good morning, Daniel! I trust you slept well.” Danny rubbed his eyes again.

            “Yeah, just fine, thanks.” He pulled out the chair on Vlad’s left and plopped down into it, scooting noisily forward. “What’s for breakfast?”

            “Pancakes.” Danny looked at him quizzically.

            “Normal pancakes or fruit loop pancakes?” He asked suspiciously. Vlad smirked.

            “The pancakes are perfectly normal, nothing ‘fruit loopy’ about them.”

            “But how would you know?” Danny asked seriously, narrowing his eyes at the man.

            “I guess I wouldn’t, would I?” Vlad said, playing along. “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.” He took a sip of his tea, eyes full of mirth as they gazed at the boy. Danny smiled to himself and looked back at his placemat, absentmindedly spinning the fork resting there.

            “Hey Vlad?”

            “Yes?”

            “How did you get your powers?” The man stared at him, cup held aloft. “I mean, you told me it was the prototype of the ghost portal that did it to you, but how did it happen? What went wrong?” The man finally set his cup down, folding his fingers.

            “Well, it was back in my college days.” He began carefully. “Your parents and I operated a small spectral studies club, that is, we were the _entire_ spectral studies club. Jack had a strong interest in the subject, and I was mildly interested, so we decided to send out flyers announcing the formation of the group. Your mother was the only one who answered the flyer, so the three of us started up and ran the club.” He paused. “We conducted experiments, mostly hypothetical types of things, and examined the data to try and learn more about ghosts. Eventually, your mother stumbled on some profound evidence to suggest that there was a parallel universe to our own; one that was populated by ghosts. Naturally, when she told me this, our first desire was to try and find a way into this ‘ghost zone.’”

            “So you came up with the idea to build a ghost portal.” Vlad nodded.

            “Precisely. Your mother and I drafted the plans for it, and Jack helped us build it. After many month of toil, the prototype was completed. It was a miniature, about the same size as the one I gave you. We picked a ceremonious date for the first test, and on that day we three gathered in the lab. To be honest, I didn’t think it would actually work. I had helped your mother draft the plans, but I never really believed that we could actually break open a hole into the ghost zone. It just did not seem possible. But nevertheless, we gathered on that day and set everything up, and Jack flipped the switch to start it…” Vlad trailed off, the pain in his voice clear to Danny. After a moment of respectful silence, the boy pressed.

            “Did it work?” He asked quietly. Vlad seemed to snap back to reality, looking at the boy again.

            “Yes and no. The portal activated, however it was nowhere near stable enough to open a proper portal into the ghost zone. Something went wrong, and Jack hadn’t waited for me to move away from the device before he started it, and the results were, well…” He trailed off for a moment again. “The portal erupted into my face, turning my hair white and giving me a horrible case of ecto-acne. In the pain and the following panic, I ran from the room, until eventually the ambulance caught up with me.” The man’s eyes seemed to stare at nothing, obviously reliving a time long-since passed. “I was in the hospital for years while they tried to figure out what was wrong with me, but eventually my core became stable and the ecto-acne cleared, and I was allowed to leave.” The man’s hands dropped to the table, him looking back at the boy finally. “I learned how to control my powers, gained an immense amount of wealth, and well, here we are.”

            Danny fidgeted awkwardly, not sure what to say. He had just opened his mouth to speak when Christophe appeared from the kitchen, carrying their breakfast. As the plate was set down, Danny examined the rather extravagant pancakes, which were smothered in what appeared to be fresh berries and some kind of light custard. They seemed fairly normal, despite being quite a bit fancier than what the boy was used to.

            “What would you like to drink, Master Vladimir?”

            “I’m quite fine with my tea.”

            “And you, Master Danny?”

            “Please, it’s just ‘Danny.’” Vlad smirked at the comment. “And just some milk please.”

            “Very well, Master Danny.” The boy frowned as the butler walked away, seeming to have ignored his comment. He looked at Vlad.

            “What does it take to make him listen anyway?” Vlad chuckled.

            “It’s just his job, my boy. He was trained as a royal butler in his life; it wouldn’t do for him to call someone he served by anything less.”

            “Well it’s still annoying.” The boy said, crossing his arms. “I’m nobody’s ‘master.’” Vlad chuckled again as Christophe returned with Danny’s drink.

            “Will that be all?”

            “Yes, that will be all, Christophe.” Vlad said, unfolding his napkin and laying it on his lap. The ghost bowed before turning and leaving the room once more. Danny picked up his fork, cutting a large swath out of the pancakes in front of him. He was just about to take a bite when he paused.

            “I’m… sorry about what happened to you.” He said solemnly, staring at the large slice of pancake on his fork.

            “Don’t be, my boy. I’m sure what you went through was just as painful for you.”

            “Yeah, but still, it doesn’t hurt you less because we went through something similar. So, I’m sorry it happened to you, and I’m sorry you had to go through this all these years by yourself.” The boy added, still avoiding the man’s gaze. Danny could feel the awkward silence in the air. He felt the man’s hand come to rest on his shoulder suddenly, and his head snapped up.

            “It’s okay, little badger. You might have had your friends, but I know how lonely it is to be the only half-ghost in existence. It was hard for you too.” It’s not a question; it’s a fact. Vlad _knows_ it, and it shows itself to Danny in the small smile, the light squeeze on his shoulder. “But you’re not alone anymore, and neither am I.”

            Danny could feel tears threatening to well up in his eyes, a truly happy smile splitting his face as he looked at the man. He hadn’t really realized just _how_ lonely he had been, but sitting here now, across from the only other person who shared his secret, he realized he _needed_ this. And he had been needing it for a long time.

            Vlad released his shoulder, and the two of them went about eating their breakfasts in comfortable, thoughtful silence.

* * *

 

“Daniel? Are you in there?” Vlad called, softly knocking on the door. After waiting for several moments and not receiving a response, he called again. “I’m coming in, Daniel.” He warned, slowly opening the door. He quickly covered his mouth to stifle the laugh that threatened to burst out.

Danny was sprawled out on his stomach on the bed, his bare feet resting on his pillow and the top of his head just brushing against the footboard. Vlad smiled fondly, still trying not to laugh, and gently shook the boy.

“Daniel, it’s the middle of the day, and we have things to do. It’s time to stop napping.” The boy groaned groggily.

“Five more minutes, Mom, just… five more…” He slurred, inching away from the man that was trying to wake him. A mischievous smile twisted Vlad’s face, and he reached down, one finger gently touching Danny’s face, quickly emitting a small electric shock. The boy yelped, eyes shooting open, him scrambling unconsciously backwards before falling dramatically off the other side of the bed. Vlad’s howling laughter as Danny picked himself up off the floor made the boy’s face burn bright red, rubbing his cheek where the man had zapped him. Danny frowned angrily, quickly shooting a small ecto-blast at Vlad, which he easily absorbed.  
            “You’ll have to try harder than that, Daniel!” He teased through his laughter.

“What do you want, anyway?” Danny asked, crossing his arms angrily. Vlad quickly composed himself.

“I simply wished to inform you that I would like you to come out to the arena now.”

“Oh, right. Did you fix the thing?”

“I hope so. I looked at it today and I think I found the issue. We can rerun the tests and see.” Danny nodded, scrambling over the bed to put on his shoes.

* * *

 

            “I simply don’t understand it.” Vlad said, shaking his head slowly. “Why isn’t it working correctly?” The large ‘500’ displayed on the board seemed to be taunting him, daring him to try and understand why it was there. “Unless…” Danny finally tore his eyes away from the board and looked down at Vlad.

            “Unless what?” He asked slowly.

            “Unless it’s correct already.”

            “It’s not.”

            “We can’t know that for sure. I’d like to believe it’s not true, however, the evidence suggests it could be.”

            “What evidence? It’s obviously just malfunctioning!” The sudden hostility in the boy’s voice surprised Vlad.

            “Look, Daniel; there’s nothing physically wrong with the board, system, or anything else. The only ‘problem’ here is that the score seems unlikely. It could be correct.”

            “No it can’t! I’m not that powerful! I couldn’t be that powerful!” Vlad stared at the floating boy for a moment.

            “What are you so afraid of, Daniel? Being strong is—”

            “I’m not afraid! I’m telling you the score is wrong!”

            “Listen here, Daniel!” Vlad said, pointing an angry finger at the boy. “Don’t try and hide it. I know when you’re lying. There is nothing to be afraid of here, and you’re just—” The man abruptly stopped, a flickering light catching his eye. He turned towards the board, his eyes widening.

            “See? I told you it wasn’t right!” Danny said, hands outstretched towards the large ‘0’ now occupying the board.

            “Yes, Daniel, I can see that.” Vlad touched his chin, deep in thought. “You’ve practiced enough for today, I think.” He finally said. Danny raised one eyebrow in confusion, but decided not to question the man. They had really only done the test again today, and so he certainly hadn’t done much, but the boy was happy to take the chance to get away for awhile.

            He turned and flew through the wall and back towards the mansion, leaving the man to his thoughts.  
  


* * *

 

            “This is freaking impossible!” Danny groaned to himself. He hadn’t seen Vlad since he had left him in the training arena, during which time Danny had been trying to figure out why the thought of possibly being so powerful was scaring him so much. It wasn’t something concrete—it was more like a _feeling_. It was something foreboding and evil; a feeling like dark tendrils constricting his heart.  
            _Calm down, Fenton. The scoreboard is just malfunctioning. None of this matters anyway._ He tried to reassure himself, but still he felt something dark lingering in his mind, like a tiny sliver that had worked its way into the epicenter of his soul. It refused to be dislodged no matter how hard he tried, and he was oddly pining for Vlad’s company but the man was nowhere in sight.

            There was a knock at the door. Danny jumped up probably faster than was necessary, flinging open the door with gusto. A surprised Vlad, hand still held aloft, was standing on the other side.

            “Are you alright, Daniel?” Vlad asked, obviously having changed his question upon seeing the boy opening the door so quickly.

            “Yeah, I’m fine.” Vlad stared at him for a moment.

            “Right, well, I thought we might have a quick lunch, and then I can show you around the castle.”

            “You already showed me the castle when I was here during the reunion.”  
            “Yes, but I thought you might like a refresher. After all, nearly everything in the castle is yours to use, and I would hate for it to go to waste.”

            “‘Nearly?’” Vlad chuckled.

            “Well, of course there are a few places that are private, such as my bedroom. But everything else is open to you.” Danny nodded, stepping out into the hall.

            “Let’s go eat first then; I’m starving.” He said, patting his stomach.

            “Of course. A growing half-ghost certainly needs to keep his strength up.” Vlad agreed, leading them down the hall to the dining room.

* * *

 

            Vlad had taken him on an even more painstakingly long tour this time, however Danny was kept from being bored as the man took the time to point out some actually _interesting_ things, like the enormous swimming pool outside and the telescopes set up on one of the large balconies. Danny had wanted to spend some time with the telescopes, but Vlad insisted on continuing the tour, telling him that he could use the telescopes tomorrow.

            Shortly after Vlad had finally finished his tour, they had sat down for a quick dinner, after which Vlad had excused himself. He had said something about having to go and work tomorrow, and that he needed a good night's rest. Danny thought it was a bit weird for him to be going to bed so early—it was only seven—but he quickly shrugged it off and returned to his own room.

            There he sat, staring at nothing in particular, wondering just what he was going to do tomorrow while Vlad was at work. He had mentioned he would be back around three, so Danny figured at the very least, he would get to sleep in. That alone was enough to put a smile on his face despite the dark feeling still lingering around in his mind.

            The boy was tempted to sneak out to the telescopes tonight, but figured that probably wasn't such a great idea. He would wait until tomorrow night. _It'll be new moon; perfect time to observe. But what am I going to do during the day? I've got video games, but I'm stuck on the only one I want to play._ Danny sighed to himself and flipped on the TV, resting his back against the sturdy headboard and resigning himself to watching cartoons. He could figure the rest out tomorrow.

* * *

 

            _I must start with the preparations soon; I can't afford to wait too long and risk running out of time before the boy must return to his parents._ Vlad sat at his desk, flipping through papers in his briefcase while he mulled over his plans. _There is also still the matter of getting the boy acclimated to his surroundings; he still obviously does not feel at home here, though I am doing everything in my power to help him._ The man sighed heavily to himself, running his hands down his face. _And then of course, there's the score board. I can't seem to find what is wrong with it, but if that score is correct... it does not bode well for the boy._

Finally deciding that his papers were adequately prepared for the next day, he locked them inside his briefcase and exited his study, starting the short jaunt down the hall to his bedroom. He paused when he saw the light under Danny's bedroom door, and glanced at his watch. _Daniel's still awake? It's nearly midnight..._

            Seeming to consider something for a moment, the man finally knocked softly on the door, opening it quietly after a moment of silence. Danny was lying on the bed, seemingly asleep though he was still wearing his jeans and tee shirt, while the TV blared some raucous cartoon. _He certainly falls asleep easily enough._ Vlad thought to himself, thinking it better to just leave the boy to take care of himself. He did take a moment to flip off the TV, however.

            The man finally made it to his own bedroom and changed into his pajamas before brushing his teeth and climbing into bed. He knew it would be a long day tomorrow, and he had already stayed up far too late finishing paperwork.

 

* * *

 

            “I can't... no I didn't mean to... I didn't mean for this to happen... I was just trying to save myself...” The boy tossed and turned in his bed, the mumbled words falling from his lips and disappearing into the darkness that surrounded him. “ _Who are you!?_ ” Danny screamed the words, his garbled speech finally causing his eyes to snap open, his mind reeling to comprehend where he was. He was met with the hot sensation of a cold sweat covering him, the weight of the blanket tangled around his body suddenly feeling like it was suffocating him.

            In a frenzy, he kicked the thick comforter off and sat up, wiping the sweat from his forehead and breathing deeply. The cold air of the room hit his skin like a tidal wave, but much to his dismay it offered little comfort—it only cooled the edges but left the burning core behind.

            _What was I dreaming about?_ He rubbed his upper arms anxiously, trying to grasp onto a tiny shred of a memory that was quickly fading. _There was... a man? But who was he? He looked so familiar, but I can’t remember what he looked like..._ The boy squinted about in the darkness, finally realizing that something was off. He reached over and clicked on the bedside lamp, shielding his eyes from the light. Sure enough, he was still wearing his jeans and tee shirt from the day before. _I don’t even remember falling asleep. Last thing I remember I was watching TV, and now here I am. I guess I must have dozed off and gotten tangled in the blanket..._  
            Danny finally glanced over at the clock. _Great, it’s two in the morning._ He reluctantly got up and peeled his sweaty shirt and jeans off, tossing them arbitrarily on the floor as he walked into the closet. He found his pajamas and dragged himself over to the bathroom, starting the faucet on the large tub and splashing his face with water from the sink. Catching sight of his reflection in the mirror, he couldn’t help but notice the large bags under his eyes, and he sighed tiredly.

            When the tub finally filled, the boy shrugged off his boxers and stepped carefully into it, the burning water feeling surprisingly good on his already warm skin. Once he had sat down on one of the seats inside, he sunk down to his nose in the calm water and shut his eyes, trying to banish the feeling of dread that hung over him from his forgotten dream.

            Several minutes passed in eerie silence, not even a single creak disturbing the heavy quiet. Finally, Danny decided he was too tired to stay in the bath any longer, so he quickly drained the tub and dried himself off, pulling on a fresh pair of boxers and his pajamas before finally exiting the bathroom.

            The boy righted his twisted blanket and crawled into the bed. _What’s going on…?_ Danny wondered, the particular thought and meaning lost as his tired mind lost the battle to weariness once more.


	6. Expertise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few plot cards will be revealed this chapter...

            Danny slept rather soundly through the night after returning to his bed—in fact, it was well past noon when he finally stirred, scratching his head tiredly through the mess of dark hair. The nightmare hadn’t returned, and in fact, the boy had for the most part completely forgotten about it.

            After following through with his usual morning routine, Danny found himself downstairs in the dining room, waiting for a bowl of cereal he had asked for.

            “Master Danny—” The boy jolted violently, having been so lost in his thoughts he hadn’t noticed the butler enter the room. “Here is your cereal.” Danny moved slightly to the side so the ghost could set the bowl down on the placemat. “May I inquire about something?”

            “Uh... sure.”

            “Have you just awoken?”

            “Yeah.”

            “Do you wish me to wake you up when Master Vladimir is not around? You seem to have slept quite late.” Danny waved his hand.

            “No, no. I’d like to sleep in when he’s not here. I’m pretty sure I won’t get the chance while he _is_ here.”

            “Very well, Master Danny. Do you require anything else?” Danny eyed the rather bland looking cereal.

            “Some sugar would be nice.”

            “Certainly.” The butler disappeared through the door, returning with the sugar before Danny even had the time to watch him go. He set the small bowl down to Danny’s left, curtly bowed, and left the boy to enjoy his breakfast.

            Without even tasting it first, Danny dumped several large spoonfuls of sugar on top of the plain cereal, simply adding more as the deposited sugar sank to the bottom of the bowl. Finally satisfied that he had more sugar than cereal, he picked up his spoon and started shoveling, his etiquette even worse than it was in front of Vlad.

            _What am I even going to do today? I can’t use the telescopes until it gets dark… maybe I’ll go swimming._ Danny swallowed his last huge bite of cereal and nodded to himself. _Yeah, swimming sounds nice. I bet it’s warm outside._ Danny stood up, leaving the bowl for Christophe to clean (he had scolded Danny this morning for trying to enter the kitchen), and made the trek back to his room.

            _Maybe I should put my clothes in the dresser or something…_ Danny thought to himself, rifling through his duffle bag for his swim trunks. Finally finding them, he tossed the checkered shorts on the bed and returned to his suitcase. Knowing there were only clothes left inside, he turned it upside down and dumped the contents onto the floor of the closet.

            He quickly separated his clothes, stashing the resulting piles into the drawers of the dresser without folding any of them. As he picked up his suitcase to stow it somewhere, he realized it felt too heavy to be empty.

            Upon opening the front pocket, Danny groaned. _Dad must’ve snuck this in here when I wasn’t looking._ He thought, carefully poking the specter deflector to see if it was activated. Satisfied it wouldn’t shock him, he opened one of the empty drawers of the dresser and shoved it inside. _It’s not like I’ll be needing it._

            After changing into his swim trunks, he wandered down the stairs to one of the many back doors, hoping he had found the one closest to the pool. Happy to discover he had, he pulled off his shirt and threw it on one of the chairs, then ran and jumped into the pool without a second thought. As he resurfaced and wiped his hair from his eyes, he stared at the pair of polished shoes in front of his face.

            “I brought you a towel, since seems you forgot.” Danny looked up at Christophe, who was soaking wet and holding a similarly wet towel.

            “Uh... sorry...” Danny said meekly.

            “It’s not a problem, Master Danny.” The butler turned intangible for just moment, long enough for the water to land in a puddle at his feet. “I’ll leave your towel here.” He set it down on the chair next to Danny’s shirt, bowed, and retreated back into the mansion.

            Danny laughed awkwardly to himself, then went back to swimming, floating leisurely on his back in the cool water. It was extremely relaxing, and he even forgot his troubles for a few minutes.

However, he quickly tired of it, wishing his friends were here so they could enjoy the fancy pool with him. Suddenly feeling a bit dejected, he dried himself off with the towel and wandered back up to his room. After taking a quick shower to wash the chlorine off, he got dressed and pulled out his laptop.

            The chat program started beeping almost immediately after he logged into it, both Tucker and Sam typing greetings and questions at their fastest speed. Instead of responding, he set up a video chat for the three of them so he wouldn’t have to deal with typing.

            “Danny!” His friends shouted in unison.

            “Hey guys!” Danny smiled widely, happy to see his friends again.

            “Where have you been, dude? We’ve been worried about you!”

            “Yeah, you should have called us when you got there!” Sam added with a trace of annoyance.

            “Heh, sorry you guys. I was a little busy.”

            “Well, don’t leave us hanging, man! Tell us everything!”

            “Umm… there’s not much to tell yet.” Danny lied. _It’s probably better not to worry them about the scoreboard..._

            “What do you mean ‘there’s not much to tell?’ You’ve been staying at the house of a billionaire half-ghost for three days now, and you’re telling me _nothing_ interesting has happened?” Sam asked disbelievingly.

            “Well, uh…” Danny started.

            “C’mon, Danny, _something_ must have happened. You can tell us anything, you know.” Tucker said seriously. Danny was quiet for a moment, staring down at his keyboard to avoid the stares of his two friends from his screen.

            “Well, I found out Vlad has ghost servants.” Both of his friends looked shocked.

            “Whoa, really?” Tucker asked. “How does he keep them a secret?”

            “Well, I don’t think anyone really comes here, and they mostly hid during the reunion. There’s a butler named Christophe, and Vlad’s driver—uh, I forgot his name. There’s also a chef that I haven’t met.”

            “He has his own chef? Sounds like you’re living the rich life over there, Danny!”

            “Why are you so impressed, Sam? You live the rich life every day!” Tucker said.

            “Hey, we may be rich but we’re not _that_ rich. Vlad’s on a whole different level of money.”

            “ _Anyway_ ,” Danny interrupted. “I’ve only been here a few days, so not much has happened. The fruit loop has weird taste in food though.” Both friends raised their eyebrows at the nickname.

            “Didn’t you go there so he could teach you?” Tucker asked.

            “Yeah, but I’ve just been trying to get settled in, so we haven’t done much actual training yet.”

            “Do you feel okay, Danny? You look a little down.” Sam asked.

            “I’m fine. I’m just not really used to living in this huge mansion yet.”

            “You mean you’re not used to living with another half-ghost yet.” Tucker corrected. Danny just smiled sheepishly and nodded.

            “Actually Tucker, would you help me with something?”

            “Sure, dude, what do you need?”

            “There’s a, umm… thing.” Tucker just stared at him. “It’s an electronic thing.”

            “And it’s not working?” Tucker guessed.

            “Yeah. Would you take a look if I take my laptop over to it?”

            “Sure, no problem.”

            “Alright, hang on just a second. It’s outside of the house so I’ll have to carry you a little ways.” Danny grabbed his shoes from where he had left them near the bed, shoving his feet in without bothering with socks. He then picked up the laptop, balancing it on his left arm, and exited the room.  
            “Hasn’t Vlad ever heard of electricity? He still uses candles!” Sam said suddenly. Glancing behind him, Danny realized she had seen one of the candelabras mounted in the hallway.

            “Yeah, I did kinda wonder about that. Maybe they are electric?”

            “They don’t look like it.” Danny shrugged and continued down the hall, eventually finding the stairs.

            “Why don’t you fly? Wouldn’t that be faster?” Tucker asked.

            “I don’t want to drop my laptop. And I kinda just feel like walking.”

            “Are you going out somewhere, Master Danny?” Danny jolted, the voice from behind startling him.

            “You almost made me drop my laptop!” He exclaimed, carefully repositioning the computer on his arm. “I’m just going out to the arena.”

            “Very well, Master Danny. Please inform me when you wish to have lunch. Master Vladimir will be home at approximately three PM.” Danny nodded and the butler retreated to wherever it was that he had come from.

            “‘Master’ Danny?” Sam asked with a raised eyebrow when she was sure the butler was gone. Danny sighed loudly.

            “I keep telling him to cut it out but he won’t listen.” Danny said, finally reaching the large back door.

            “So I take it that was the butler then.” Tucker said.

            “Yeah. He’s always popping up out of nowhere.”

            “So what’s this ‘arena’ we’re going to?”

            “It’s a training area Vlad built. Kind of like a stadium.” Danny explained. “We’re almost there.” He opted to enter through the door instead of risking trying to phase his computer through the wall. He walked over to one set of bleachers and set the computer down, quickly changing into Phantom. Danny then grabbed the computer and flew up to the scoreboard, turning so the webcam would show the board in the background. “So this thing has been uh… displaying wrong numbers.”

            “You were playing football?” Tucker asked incredulously.

            “Not really…” Tucker raised his eyebrow but didn’t say anything at the obvious dodge.

            “Fly me up behind it and I’ll take a look.” Danny nodded, quickly looping around to the back of the board. The covers on the back were already taken off; Vlad must have been working on it recently. Danny turned the computer away from him, holding it steady with both hands. All was quiet for a minute as Tucker examined it.

            “At a glance, it looks just fine.” Tucker’s voice echoed from the speakers.

            “That’s what I was afraid you’d say.” Danny mumbled.

            “What?”

            “Uh, nothing.” He turned the computer back around. “Thanks for looking anyway, Tuck.”

            “No problem. If you send me some more information about the thing I might be able to figure out what’s wrong.”

            “Okay, I’ll see if I can get some to you.” He lowered himself back to the ground, changing back and walking slowly out of the arena. “I think I’m going to go have lunch, so I won’t make you walk all the way back with me.” Both friends looked a little concerned.

            “Alright, but if you need anything, make sure you call, okay?” Sam said, Danny nodding quickly in response.

            “I will. Talk to you guys later.”

            “Later, Danny.”

            “Call us soon!” Danny smiled and ended the call, closing the laptop and tucking it under his arm.

            “Great, if even _Tucker_ can’t find anything wrong with it…”

 

* * *

 

            “Okay, is it just me, or was he acting really strange?” Sam asked, still connected to Tucker through the video chat.

            “Definitely. Something’s up with him.”

            “We need to figure out what it is then!”

            “Well, it could just be he’s homesick… but I wonder what was up with that scoreboard. If he wasn’t playing football, what does he care about a scoreboard on a football field?”

            “Well, he did say it was a training arena. Maybe the board does something else too?

            “That’s true… if he sends me some info about it, I can probably figure it out. But for now, maybe it’s best if we just leave him be. He’ll tell us when he’s ready.” Sam look worried, but she nodded.

            “Yeah, maybe. But if he doesn’t tell us soon, we’re gonna plan a surprise visit, alright?”

            “Yeah, just to make sure he’s okay. We don’t know much about Vlad, except that he’s rich and half ghost. He could be up to something.” Both friends nodded in mutual agreement with their plan, both worried about their friend who was now so far away from them.

* * *

 

            “Daniel?” Vlad called, sorting through some papers in the entrance hall. “…Daniel?” He called again after not getting a response. He set his papers and briefcase down on a table and climbed the stairs to Danny’s room. He knocked on the door softly, letting himself in after a respectful pause.

            _Daniel is sleeping again?_ Vlad rubbed his chin in thought. _He seems to be awfully tired since he came here, even for a teenage boy…_ The man moved over to where Danny was carelessly strewn across his bed, and shook the boy gently.

            “Hrmm…?” Danny questioned.

            “Daniel, it’s the middle of the afternoon; no time to be taking a nap.” The boy’s eyes opened lazily, looking around. He slowly sat up, rubbing an eye with the palm of his hand.

            “What time is it?” He asked.

            “Nearly three thirty.”

            “When did I fall asleep…?” Danny wondered to himself, following the question with a loud yawn. “Oh, I forgot to plug my laptop in.” He got up and fumbled around for the cord, seemingly unconcerned or unnoticing of Vlad, who was watching him with a close eye.

            “Have you eaten lunch yet?” Danny finally found the cord and plugged the laptop in, turning back around on his heel.

            “Yeah, I ate before I, uh, fell asleep.” Vlad stared at him with an unreadable expression.

            “Why don’t you join me in the dining room? Perhaps you can have a snack of some sort.” Danny nodded.

            “Sure.” Vlad led him out of his room and down the hall to the dining room. They settled into their chairs, Christophe having already laid out Vlad’s lunch and a small slice of cake for Danny.

            “So, Daniel.” Danny looked up at him. “You’ve been napping quite a bit; are you feeling tired?”

            “Maybe a little bit…” Danny said slowly, taking a bite of his cake. Vlad watched him for a moment, the boy avoiding his gaze.

            “Is there something wrong?” Vlad continued eating in the silence, waiting patiently for a response. Danny chewed the inside of his cheek, not wanting to mention the nightmare he’d had last night.

            “No, not really.” He lied, taking another large bite of cake so he wouldn’t have to talk.

            “You know you can tell me if you need something, right?” Vlad said seriously. Danny just nodded. “Look at me.” The boy reluctantly did so. “I care about your wellbeing, and I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.” Danny just nodded again, turning back to his half-eaten cake.

 _He’s rather… despondent. There’s obviously something wrong, but he won’t tell me what it is!_ Vlad pondered the situation, watching Danny poke the cake with his fork. He wasn’t even eating it anymore. _This is ridiculous! What does he expect me to do? I can’t push him anymore or he will never tell me, but if it’s something serious, things might take a turn for the worse before he feels like talking…_

            “So, are we going to run the test again today?”

            “No, I think not. It’s obviously not working at the moment, so we’ll just have to wait until I can find out what’s wrong with it.” _I’ll definitely not be telling him it really is working while he’s in this state, since it seems to scare him so much. But it obviously is working correctly; it measured my power level correctly all the times I tested it yesterday. It is strange that his power level is so high, though… I must figure out what it is that is causing that score. He’s obviously got power, but enough to outmatch even the most powerful ghost that exists? It seems highly unlikely._ Vlad watched the boy in front of him finally return to actually eating the cake, wondering how such a scrawny boy could ever be that strong, ghost powers or no. _Perhaps more important though, is why he’s so afraid to be powerful. He should be happy that he has that power to protect himself and his family and friends, so it must be some memory that he doesn’t want to share that is causing his unease. But I must know what it is if I’ll ever get him to stay at my side!_

Vlad was suddenly aware that he was grinding his teeth, having finished the salad he had been eating. Danny himself was probably the biggest obstacle to his plan, and he was no longer sure he had the patience to earn the boy’s trust. _Just keep calm, Vladimir. The chess board is already set in your favor. All you have to do is keep playing._

* * *

 

            “Take your shots slowly, Daniel. That’s the best way to improve your accuracy.”

            “I am taking them slow!” Danny protested, flying forward to shoot two more targets.

            “Slower, then! The most stable shot is one that is taken slowly and with great care. The better you get at shooting slowly, the better you will get at shooting quickly.”

            “Yeah, I get it, I get it! I’ll shoot slower.” He paused in front of a target, purposefully going extremely slow in gathering energy and aiming it.

            “I said slow, not _catatonic_ , Daniel.” Danny glared at him from above, Vlad smirking in response. He released the shot, hitting the target perfectly in the center for the first time. “See? That was perhaps _too_ slow, but your aim was much better.” Danny didn’t say anything, taking another slow shot at a different target. “Alright, that’s probably enough for now. You can come out here tomorrow while I’m gone and practice some more.”

            “So what now?” Danny asked, floating down to stand next to Vlad.

            “Do you have any powers that don’t directly employ ectoplasm?” Danny’s eyebrows scrunched down low over his eyes.

            “What do you mean? Don’t all powers use ectoplasm?”

            “Yes, of course they do. But every power uses it in different ways. Certain powers don’t directly use ectoplasm, but use it more as a catalyst. For example:” Vlad extended one hand, electricity crackling in it before shooting out and completely obliterating one of the targets. Danny covered his ears from the loud bang, eyes wide in disbelief.

            “How did you— I’ve never seen you do that before!”

            “Of course you haven’t, my boy. This is a special power that I possess. The ectoplasm in this attack is used as a spark to start the electricity, and then continues to feed a small amount to keep it going. If not for the natural unpredictability of the power, I could probably hold onto it indefinitely, since only the initial spark uses a noticeable amount of energy.”

            “Will I be able to do that too?”

            “I don’t know. It seems most ghosts possess a special power, except those in the lowest level of the hierarchy.”

            “...Hierarchy?” Vlad stared at the boy in mute shock.

            “You don’t know anything about the ghost hierarchy? Nothing at all?” Danny shook his head. “Well, it looks like I have more to teach you than I thought.”

            “Hey!”

            “It’s not your fault, my boy, but you really have a lot to learn. However, I think perhaps this is a lesson for another day. For now, I’ll simply say that ghosts generally have a special ability of some sort. I have one, so I suspect you must have one as well.”

            “And how do I figure out what it is?”

            “It will manifest itself in one way or another. I was getting static shocks from everything in my house for weeks before I realized what was happening.” Danny laughed, trying to cover it up with one hand. “Anyway,” Vlad said firmly. “All special powers are based on the makeup of your core.”

            “Core?”

            “You don’t know about cores, either?” Vlad asked in disbelief. Danny shrugged. “All ghosts have cores; it’s located in the center of the chest, to the lower right of where your heart is.” Vlad said, indicating the place on his own chest. “When you change into your ghost form, you are activating your core. Now, each ghost’s core is slightly different, but they all follow a basic structure; even ours do. The core is the center of all powers, and will fall under either a hot or cold type, as well as under a specific elemental type. As half-ghosts, we can also have abilities from several elemental types besides just our base type, though we will always be either hot or cold.”

            “So your core...?”  
            “I have a hot core, electric element.”

            “How is electric an element?”

            “Please Daniel, it’s not just the basic four like in the movies; there are many elemental types.”

            “Okay, so what’s mine?”

            “I don’t know, of course. Only you can discover it. I would guess, based on your visible ghost sense, that you have a cold core. At any rate, there’s no telling when a special ability might manifest itself, so please tell me if anything unusual happens.”

            “Uh, sure.” Vlad took a breath.

            “Well, if you do not have any special abilities to hone at the moment, perhaps you could give teleportation a try. It’s too early for you to actually attempt it, but I can teach you the basics at least…”

* * *

* * *

* * *

 

            Clockwork frowned deeply, the familiar feeling of apprehension building in his chest signaling that something had gone wrong. However, the problem the time ghost found himself faced with was not that something was _wrong_ per se; it was more that he couldn't see what it _was._ Generally, when he got that feeling, he needed to only look at the current timestream and the problem would present itself. Most of the time it was something small—a misplaced book causing a straight-A student to be late to an important exam, setting off a chain reaction that leads to a rather dark future for them; it was a problem which could be easily fixed by simply moving the book—however, in this particular case, as Clockwork gazed at the timestream, everything seemed to be at peace.

            Nothing in particular jumped out at him as being off, but something definitely was. _Perhaps it has something to do with those two halfas? Certainly they will clash at some point; it is quite inevitable, given their natures; however, though it seems potentially volatile, the odds of maintaining a peaceful relationship are in their favor, so I see no problem there…_

            The ghost continued to carefully watch the timestream through his viewing pane, his constantly shifting form somehow not distracting him in the least. _Yes, something is_ definitely _wrong here. I must find out what it is before it is too late..._


End file.
